Dog in the Manger
by LucretiaDecoy
Summary: Yukina finally finds her brother – a fire demon born of the ice village – but his name isn't Hiei. When the mysterious stranger appears to be genuine and rapidly forms close bonds with Yukina and Kuwabara, Hiei is left with the difficult decision of whether or not to tell Yukina the truth. Hiei x Botan, repost of 2014 fic.
1. Yukina's Brother

**Chapter 1 – Yukina's Brother**

Mukuro's fortress was the pinnacle of perfection. It was dark, it was a veritable maze of criss-crossing corridors that a fool could easily lose themselves for days trying to navigate, and the air within the fortress was drenched with the odours of blood, death and decay, making it like a more concentrated version of the already acrid air that pervaded every part of demon world. The walls pulsated and throbbed, the truly elite and most violent and relentless of warriors all resided there and were on-hand for a bloody sparring session whenever so challenged, and the whole operation was run by Mukuro herself, who, thanks to her typically holding back or restraining large amounts of her true strength and ability, was arguably the most powerful demon ever to have existed. It was as though all the truly best and most impressive things about demon world and demon life had been condensed down into one building: and Hiei was a key part of it.

Walking through the corridors at a leisurely pace, his sword softly clanking against his leg and the hirui stone hanging from a chain around his neck rolling from side to side beneath his shirt, Hiei was contented to find himself alone. He had just finished a shift on the border patrol, which had involved travelling around the patrol route – the long road that ran around the periphery of demon world – and, even though his shift had been uneventful, the journey itself still took three days to complete. After three days of being cooped up with three of the dullest guards imaginable conducting an uneventful patrol, Hiei was more than a little bored, and so he had decided that the first thing he needed to do was find someone to fight. Before sleeping, before bathing or even before changing his clothes, Hiei really just wanted to add the scent of fresh blood to the scents already hanging around him; which currently included only the typical scents of the interior of Mukuro's fortress and the mildly offensive scents of his own sweat accumulated over the last few days.

And so, when Kirin stepped out into his path, Hiei allowed himself a crooked grin.

"Hn, your timing is oddly appropriate," Hiei addressed him. "I hope you're well-rested. I've been working the patrol for three continuous days without food or sleep and I'm a little tired, so I'd say that should make us about even, provided you're currently at your own personal best."

Hiei stopped in front of Kirin – who stood at easily twice Hiei's height – and looked up at him expectantly.

"You're especially lucky that I'm feeling generous today," Hiei added. "I'll let you choose the location for our combat and I'll even let you have the first shot for free."

"That's very funny Hiei," Kirin monotonously replied. "But I'm not here for myself. I'm here on behalf of Lord Mukuro. She's requested that you join her in her chambers immediately."

Hiei's grin widened to near painful proportions.

"Yes," he hissed. "A battle with Mukuro would be far more fitting – she is, after all, the only opponent truly worthy of my skill."

"…Okay," Kirin muttered.

He stepped aside and Hiei continued past him, only vaguely curious as to why Kirin continued to follow him as he made his way to Mukuro. Moving at a much quicker pace than before, fuelled by his zeal to engage in an intense session of physical violence and bloodshed, Hiei quickly reached his destination, his by then maniacal grin faltering slightly when he entered Mukuro's chambers and found three of her top guards already present. When Kirin followed him in and closed them all into the room, Hiei's grin faded further, and his eyes darted about the others in frustrated confusion.

"I would say I'm surprised that it took so long for you to get here, but since you've been so busy lately, I suppose only a fool would find your tardiness to be an unforeseen outcome."

Hiei turned his attention to Mukuro upon her words, his grin vanishing entirely. She looked genuinely angered and disappointed – and whilst her anger (the source of her ultimate power) was usually something he relished seeing, her disappointment was something he never enjoyed witnessing – and he noticed then that she was holding a remote control in one hand and an envelope in the other.

"What the hell is all this?" Hiei growled, glancing around the other guards present before fixing his eyes onto Mukuro again.

"You took the words right out of my mouth, Hiei," Mukuro flatly replied. "I thought you and I had an understanding. I thought we had come to an agreement about your affairs with regards to your friends. I don't appreciate you lying to me and I don't appreciate you taking advantage of my men and my trust and I really don't appreciate you making a fool of me."

Hiei growled in frustration and balled his fists at his side.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" he snapped irritably.

"I'm talking about what you've been doing the past few days and where you've been," Mukuro calmly replied, the look of anger still present on her face and the distinct air of disappointment still painfully evident in her stance.

"I've been doing my duties the past few days in the places I am meant to do them," Hiei said.

"I see," Mukuro said, nodding her head. "I thought you were working a shift on the border patrol these last few days. I thought that was your duty. Apparently your loyalties lie elsewhere, however."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Hiei roared, the last remaining shred of his patience vanishing.

Mukuro stepped up to the desk she was standing on the other side of, turning the envelope in her hand upside-down and emptying the contents out onto the desk surface. She flung aside the empty envelope and then spread the papers out across her desk before pointing at them and glaring at Hiei expectantly. He watched her for a moment longer before approaching the desk and lowering his eyes to what she had placed there. At first he could not see what she was so irate about: all he could see was a selection of monotone photographs of a patrol unit performing their duties. After a second scan of the photographs he readied himself to tell Mukuro, in no uncertain terms, how irrational she was behaving: but he stopped short as his eyes landed on a photograph of himself tearing his sword through the chest of one of the patrol guards.

Hiei slowly reached a hand out towards the photograph, his eyes locked onto it unblinkingly. As he picked up the picture, he saw that the demon attacking the guards was undeniably him: a sword-wielding demon with a shock of spiked black hair in an attack stance Hiei had been using since he could stand upright. Hiei moved his eyes from the photograph in his hand to the others still splayed over the desk, his eyes widening slightly as he then noticed that he was in every one of them. He slowly picked up each photograph in turn, finding depictions of himself physically fighting an entire border patrol unit, disabling every one of the officers.

"This is a mistake," he said quietly, holding up the last photograph towards Mukuro.

"You're damn right it is," Mukuro replied, her tone dangerously low.

Hiei looked up at her and shook his head.

"This isn't me," he said, shaking the photograph at her. "This isn't me in these photographs. Do you think this is me? How can you possibly think that this is me?"

Mukuro snatched the photograph from his hand and held it up for the others in the room to see.

"Don't make a fool of me, Hiei," she said, her tone still low and threatening. "I know this is you. What I want to know is why. I told you before, if you need to go to the living world to see your friends or your sister, you can go. I don't even place restrictions on when or how long you go and yet you still felt the need to behave this way. You abandoned your duty as a patrol officer, attacked your colleagues, over-powered them, and stole away to the living world like an irresponsible child."

"Don't call me a child," Hiei growled.

"You've behaved like one," Mukuro growled back, before slamming the photograph down onto the desk. "You've humiliated me and made a mockery of the patrol! You clearly have no respect for your fellow officers, for the spirit of the border patrol or for me to do something this inconsiderate and reckless."

"You're the one being inconsiderate!" Hiei blurted out as his anger flared. "I already told you that's not me in those photographs! The guards in those photographs are not even from the same unit I was on patrol with! Ask the men who were with me and they'll agree that this could not possibly have been me!"

Mukuro narrowed her eyes but appeared to regain some of her calm. Hiei assumed that he had got through to her with his last statement: it was a very rare thing for him to be accused of carrying out a rotten scheme that he was not actually guilty of committing, and so being on the defensive as a falsely accused innocent was generating some unusual feelings within him. He felt relief – something he rarely did – when Mukuro's expression softened into a smile.

"For someone who has worked the border patrol for close to two full years, I thought you might have planned this a little better," she said. "Anyone else might have considered that neither the time nor the location were correct for what you did."

"What?" he muttered, relief giving way to confusion.

"But then again, forward planning and consideration never were your strong points, were they Hiei?" Mukuro asked, holding up the remote she was still holding in one hand.

Hiei moved his eyes to the remote, wondering what it had to do with him. Was he being accused of having stolen it? What was happening?

"You attacked the guard unit and fled to the living world right next to the tournament arena during news week, you dumbass!" Mukuro snapped. "Koto caught the entire thing on camera!"

"What?" Hiei echoed.

Mukuro pointed the remote at a screen mounted in the back wall of her office and the screen flickered to life, showing a patrol vehicle stopped beside the tournament arena. Koto had obviously been running with the camera as the film was bouncing and flickering and changing perspective almost constantly, but even though the quality of the film was poor, the events depicted were unmistakeable: Hiei watched in silent, slack-jawed horror as he flicked about the screen with his usual, deft speed, cutting down the guards with a combination of sword swipes and punches laced with black flames. Once he had downed all the guards he paused long enough to look about himself, at one point looking directly at the camera. The shot zoomed in on his face and his crimson eyes narrowed as they looked directly into the lens. Koto apparently then panicked, as she could be heard yelping off-screen and the shot dropped to the ground, which bounced around as she apparently ran away. After several awkward seconds of footage of the ground, the camera swept up again in time to show Hiei scaling the side of the patrol vehicle and launching himself through the open portal to the living world.

As the video turned to static, Mukuro – and the rest of her guards present in the room – turned to Hiei expectantly.

"How can you think that was me?" Hiei said.

"Because it very clearly was you," Mukuro flatly replied. "How can you continue to deny it, despite the overwhelming evidence of your guilt?"

"I'm not guilty!" Hiei insisted. "Ask the others who were in my unit: I did not leave the vehicle I was working in for three solid days!"

"Hiei, I'm very disappointed in you," Mukuro said.

Hiei's eyes doubled in size: the only thing worse than hearing what she had just said was seeing the look on her face which confirmed that she truly felt that way.

"I expected so much better from you," she continued. "I trusted you. I was prepared to forgive your actions if you had been prepared to take ownership of them, but in light of your arrogant lies and unwillingness to stand by your stupid mistake like a real man, I'm going to have to let you go."

"What?" Hiei roared.

The others in the room all took a step back, leaving only Hiei and Mukuro standing by the desk.

"It's not a decision that I've come to lightly," Mukuro said with a sigh. "But I can't keep you on if I can't trust you."

"This is ridiculous!" Hiei said.

"Excuse me," Kirin said, stepping forward. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but there is just one thing–"

"Damn right you're sorry!" Hiei snapped, rounding on him. "Shut your mouth and stay out of this!"

"I think you'll want to hear what I have to say, Hiei," Kirin calmly replied.

"I already know what you have to say, Kirin," Hiei spat back. "You're going to ask for my position as Mukuro's second in command. I haven't even left yet and already you're moving in to steal my position!"

Kirin waited until Hiei had finished speaking before moving his gaze to Mukuro.

"Sir, could you rewind that video and start it again?" he said.

Hiei tore his sword from its sheath and pointed the tip at Kirin's throat. Kirin calmly pinched the tip of the blade between his thumb and forefinger and pushed it to one side.

"If you watch the video again, I think you'll notice that it's not actually Hiei attacking those guards," Kirin said, giving Hiei a slightly tiresome look as he spoke.

"I find that hard to believe," Mukuro said. "But I would like it to be so, and so I will do as you ask, Kirin."

As she rewound the video Hiei slowly lowered his sword and Kirin withdrew his fingers from the blade. Hiei kept his sword in his hand and he gave Kirin one last disdainful glower before they all turned to the screen to watch the video one more time. Hiei sneered as he again saw himself darting about faster than the lazy lens of the camera could follow.

"There, pause the video!" Kirin said suddenly.

Mukuro responded immediately, pausing the video on the shot of Hiei standing looking directly at the camera, just before Koto had zoomed in on his face. It was a full-body shot of Hiei standing next to the front end of the patrol vehicle. He was standing still and tall, his feet shoulder-width apart. The black cloak that draped over his upper body and ended below his knees obscured most of his shape from scrutiny, but his bandaged right hand could just be made out at his side, clutching the hilt of his bloodied katana. The bandana around his forehead looked a little grubby and the white streak that arced around the his front section of hair looked a little askew as his hair was slightly ruffled from all the manoeuvres he had just performed.

But, Hiei thought bitterly as he stared at the screen, there was no mistaking that he was looking at his self.

"Damn, you're right, Kirin…" Mukuro muttered.

Hiei's eyebrows shot up in an involuntary show of his surprise.

"It looks exactly like him, but there you can see it's not him," Kirin said.

"Yes, of course," Mukuro agreed.

Hiei squinted at the screen, beads of sweat forming at his temples as he felt a little foolish for not being able to see what Mukuro and Kirin apparently could: it seemed absurd that they could tell the figure in the video was not him but he could not.

"See his shoulder is the same height as the top of the grill," Kirin said.

"And in actuality, he's barely taller than the top of the grill," Mukuro said.

"So whoever that is can't be Hiei," Kirin said.

"Because he's about seven inches too tall," Mukuro said.

Hiei's face dropped.

"I thought I noticed the difference when he hopped up the side of the vehicle and when he jumped at the portal too," Kirin added.

"Yes," Mukuro agreed, restarting the video and watching the remainder. "Yes, I see… His legs are clearly too long, the strides he's taking and the angle he launches himself into the portal at… Yes Kirin, you're right. That can't possibly be Hiei."

As the video finished and the screen dissolved into a sea of static again, Mukuro turned to look at Hiei.

"It appears I was wrong, Hiei," she said. "And I'm glad of it. I didn't want to have to let you go."

Hiei slowly lifted his sword, pointing it across the desk at Mukuro, who remained unfazed by his gesture.

"That's it?" he asked quietly. "He's taller than me? You needed to see that he was taller than me to believe that I was not guilty? You couldn't have figured it out by asking my unit like I twice suggested you do, you couldn't have listened to my side of the story, you couldn't have simply realised that I would never do something this stupid? Do you really think so little of me that you need to use something as perfunctory as my physical appearance to justify my innocence? Don't you know my character well enough – after three years in your service – to know that I am not that selfish and short-sighted?"

Mukuro said nothing, and somehow her lack of a response was more telling than any answer she could have given. Hiei slowly lowered his sword and looked around the others. None of them looked surprised that they had been proven wrong, but equally none of them appeared to feel any remorse for having suspected him in the first place – not even Mukuro.

"Bastards," Hiei growled, roughly resheathing his sword. "You're all bastards!"

He spun on his heels and marched out of the room, stomping his way through the corridors of Mukuro's fortress to the nearest exit, which he gladly left through. He then broke into a run, running far and fast, until he started to feel the ache of his exertion. Then, and only then, he ran with direction, taking himself to the nearest hot spring, which he gladly dived into, fully clothed. He swam the length of the pool underwater before emerging and dragging himself out to sit by the water's edge.

It had been a long time since he had felt so angry about anything and it had been an even longer time since he had felt so rejected.

It was like being abandoned by the bandits who had raised him the day they had realised that he was too strong for them to control any more.

It was like being cast out of the ice village all over again.

* * *

"There's no way genetics is an actual science. There's no logic to any of it. And that's what science is all about, right? Logic."

Keiko sighed and sat back hard in her chair.

"What?" Kuwabara asked, turning to her. "It doesn't make sense is all I'm saying!"

"You're not supposed to argue genetic theory, Kuwabara," Keiko patiently replied. "You're just supposed to memorise it and apply it to the questions."

Kuwabara jammed the end of his pen into his mouth and began chewing on it as he turned his attention back to the mock exam paper on his desk.

"It's past nine o'clock already," Keiko added.

"Yuh-huh," Kuwabara muttered, as though he had not really heard her.

"And we're still on biology…" Keiko said.

"Yuh-huh."

"We still have to go over chemistry, maths and geography."

"Yuh-huh."

"And after that you promised me you'd help me study for my history exam."

"Whoa, check this out: an atavism is an actual thing!"

Keiko's face dropped.

"Like Urameshi with the whole mazoku thing, right?" Kuwabara continued, undaunted by the withering look Keiko was giving him. "Check this out: it says an atavism is a genetic throwback that can occur and an example is a chicken being born with teeth! Whoa! I wonder if Puu grew teeth when Urameshi turned into a demon? It wouldn't surprise me, he did get all big and powerful after Urameshi transformed…"

Keiko sighed in despair.

"Sounds like someone could use a snack break," Shizuru said as she entered the room. "How about some hot chocolate and a cookie?"

"Yeah!" Kuwabara said, grinning at his sister.

"What about you, sweetheart?" Shizuru asked, turning to Keiko.

"Coffee," Keiko flatly replied. "Black."

Shizuru smiled sympathetically.

"I really appreciate you helping my baby bro out like this," she said.

"It's no problem," Keiko lied. "Next year is the last year of high school, it's important we do well in the exams this term."

Shizuru nodded.

"Are you sure I can't tempt you with a cookie?" she asked. "Yukina just baked a whole batch of them. They smell amazing."

"Yukina's so considerate!" Kuwabara said, smiling goofily. "She's my little angel in the kitchen!"

Keiko and Shizuru exchanged concerned looks.

"I'm leaving the room before he finishes that sentiment," Shizuru muttered.

She turned and started to go but stopped halfway to the door and visibly tensed.

"Shizuru?" Keiko said, rising from her seat at Kuwabara's desk. "Are you okay?"

"Someone's approaching," Shizuru said, turning around to look at her.

She paused before slowly turning to her younger brother.

"Hey Kazuma?" she said slowly. "Are you… Expecting a visit from Hiei?"

"Hiei?" Kuwabara echoed. "No way! He almost never comes here since he went "back to the darkness"!"

"Well it feels like he's on his way here now," Shizuru replied.

Kuwabara scrunched up his face and concentrated, shortly feeling the same thing his sister apparently could.

"Oh hey, yeah!" he muttered. "I think that is Hiei… But why would he come here at this time of night?"

Shizuru, Kuwabara and Keiko all exchanged confused and worried looks, the moment only ending when they heard someone knocking on the front door. They all then hurried out of the room, but as they reached the top of the stairs a streak of aqua-blue passed below them as Yukina started for the door with uncharacteristic agility. Kuwabara shoved past Keiko and his sister, ignoring their complaints, and ran down the stairs two steps at a time. He reached Yukina an instant after she had opened the door, finding what looked like a slightly bedraggled Hiei standing on the porch. It was dark and had started to rain outside and Hiei had gotten wet on his journey over; the front section of his hair was plastered against his bandana-clad forehead and the ends of his spiked hair were drooping slightly, weighed down by water.

"Miss Yukina?"

Kuwabara narrowed his eyes: Hiei's voice sounded different.

"Yes?" Yukina said.

"Miss Yukina, daughter of Hina of the ice village of demon world?"

"Yes?"

Hiei did something Kuwabara had never seen him do before: he smiled. It was not the half-crazed, murderous sort of grin Hiei usually gave, rather it was a genuine, warm, heartfelt smile. He pulled open his scarf and uncovered a hirui stone attached to a chain before lowering himself to one knee. He held the stone in one hand and formed his other hand into a fist, pressing it to his chest.

"Miss Yukina, my name is Inukasai," he said. "I'm your brother."

Yukina gasped and Kuwabara froze on the spot.

"M-my brother?" Yukina said faintly.

"Yes Miss Yukina, that's correct. I've been searching for you for quite some time and by luck I made contact with a demon who told me you now resided here, in the living world. I risked much to come here to meet with you."

Yukina clasped her hands by her chest and stepped out onto the porch to stand in front of Inukasai – who, Kuwabara thought, looked disturbingly like Hiei.

"I've been searching for you too, brother!" Yukina gushed. "I tried to find you for some time without success and I even asked a very knowledgeable demon with a gifted eye to help me find you, but even he could not find you, even though he has been looking for almost three years now."

Inukasai smiled again – and again Kuwabara flinched as he still felt as though he was looking at Hiei smiling like he was not a reckless killer who controlled the dragon of the darkness flame.

"Oh Miss Yukina, I have so much to tell you," Inukasai said. "May I please enter your home so that we might talk?"

Yukina turned to Kuwabara, who quickly hid his look of confused horror behind a nervous grin that he forced for her benefit.

"Would it be alright if my brother came inside, Kazuma?" she asked.

"Sure thing, baby!" Kuwabara replied, stepping back and grinning at Yukina.

Yukina re-entered the house and Inukasai rose to his feet, first politely bowing his head at Kuwabara and then stepping over the threshold.

"Hold it right there," Shizuru said, stepping forwards.

Inukasai stopped, his eyes growing large and his mouth forming a small o-shape. When Kuwabara saw Yukina pull the exact same face he realised that there was a resemblance between the two: and he wondered why his sister looked so angry.

"Are you sure you're Yukina's brother?" Shizuru asked.

Inukasai tilted his head slightly as though he had not even understood her question.

"It just seems a little odd," Shizuru added.

"Are you getting a bad feeling from him, Shizuru?" Keiko asked.

Shizuru turned to look at Keiko, giving her a long look before turning to Kuwabara, her attention again lingering before she finally looked down at Yukina.

"Ah, it's specifically you three…" she muttered. "The only three people who don't actually know…"

"What?" Kuwabara echoed.

Shizuru ignored him, turning instead to Yukina again.

"Is this really what you expected your brother to be like, sweetheart?" she asked the ice maiden.

Yukina turned to Inukasai and smiled sweetly.

"He is clearly an emiko," she said. "And he holds himself like a brave warrior; Rui told me that my brother was a brave warrior."

"Rui?" Inukasai echoed, turning to Yukina. "You have had contact with Rui since I visited the ice village?"

Yukina's smile widened and her eyes watered with the sheer force of her delight.

"Yes!" she said, nodding her head. "She told me all about you and your visit to the village! I'm so sorry you didn't get to meet our mother."

"It's alright," Inukasai replied. "I had already suspected that our mother had perished. My father had warned me that it must be so."

"Your father?" Yukina asked.

"Yes," Inukasai replied. "As I said, there is so much I would like to talk to you about. There is much I can tell you about my life, and I should dearly like to hear about your life: but unfortunately, I fear I will not be long in this world."

"Oh no, you're dying?" Kuwabara blurted out.

Inukasai smiled and chuckled softly.

"My apologies," he corrected himself. "A poor choice of words on my part. I meant that I will not have long in the human world before hunters come after me. It took me a month of searching to find a portal here and when I tried to pass through it, a border patrol unit caught me. I was forced to fight them in order to come here and although I successfully overcame them, it will only be a matter of time before they pursue me to this world."

"Oh well, this is your lucky day, Inukasai!" Kuwabara said cheerfully. "Because I happen to know some pretty powerful people in demon world who can get you off the hook!"

Inukasai smiled and turned to Yukina.

"Sister, would you be so kind as to introduce me to your friends?" he asked.

"Oh, of course!" Yukina said. "This is Kazuma Kuwabara."

"How's it going?" Kuwabara said.

Inukasai bowed his head in reply.

"This is our friend Keiko Yukimura," Yukina said, holding out a hand towards Keiko.

"Pleased to meet you," Keiko said, bowing her head at Inukasai. "I'm so glad Yukina finally found her brother!"

"I likewise," Inukasai replied, bowing his head at Keiko.

"And this is Kazuma's sister Shizuru Kuwabara," Yukina said, indicating Shizuru with a wave of her hand.

"A pleasure," Inukasai said, bowing at Shizuru.

"Yeah…" Shizuru replied, her face still decidedly sceptical.

"Hey, why don't we get those drinks and cookies now, Shizuru?" Keiko suggested, ushering Shizuru towards the kitchen against her will. "Kuwabara, why don't you give us a hand?"

Kuwabara ignored Keiko's hint that Yukina should have a moment alone with her brother, instead turning his back on Keiko and Shizuru and turning to grin at Inukasai.

"So Inukasai, where have you been all this time?" he asked.

"Let's sit down first," Yukina suggested.

She led the way to the living room, indicating for Inukasai to sit in the best armchair – usually occupied by Mister Kuwabara – and she and Kuwabara sat down opposite him on a sofa.

"I come from a mountain village known as Inugoya," Inukasai explained. "My father is the leader of the tribe of demons that have lived there since the dawn of time."

"You live with your father?" Yukina asked.

"Yes," Inukasai replied. "Our mother had already warned him that I would be cast from the glacial village upon my birth and so he was already on the ground waiting for me. Our mother had promised to bide her time and chose her moment to escape the ice village with you. She said she would meet us and we would be together as a family. She planned to move to our village, where she and my father would have raised us together."

"I would have loved to have been raised with my brother," Yukina said quietly.

"I would have liked that too," Inukasai said. "It was difficult for me growing up in the village: the tribe my father leads is a tribe of dog demons."

Kuwabara snorted in amusement, but when two pairs of very solemn red eyes fixed onto him he quickly sobered.

"Uh, sorry," he corrected himself. "It's just that you don't really look so much like a dog demon, Inukasai."

"That's because I'm not a dog demon, Mister Kuwabara," Inukasai replied. "I'm a fire demon, an emiko, as all male children born to an ice maiden are. The identity and powers of my father are irrelevant: ice maidens only give birth to either another ice maiden – which they conceive automatically upon their one hundredth birthday – or they give birth to a male fire demon, which they conceive from relations with a man."

"Oh wow," Kuwabara muttered.

"By chance, our mother had relations with my father just one day before her one hundredth birthday, just one day before her automatic conception with Yukina," Inukasai added.

"Gees, they didn't put this in the genetics exam…"

Inukasai smiled patiently but shortly shifted his attention to the door as Shizuru and Keiko entered the room. Shizuru placed a tray of tea down on the table in the centre of the room and Keiko laid a plate of cookies next to it. Keiko began preparing tea for everyone and Shizuru turned her attention to Inukasai, narrowing her eyes at him.

"So, Yukina's brother," she said. "Take your coat off. Make yourself at home."

"Oh, thank you," he said.

He stood up and removed his cloak, placing it over the arm of the armchair before sitting down again. Shizuru eyed him over curiously: he was even dressed the same as Hiei, down to the pointed black boots and black vest. He was not as muscular as Hiei and he was definitely taller – taller enough to be noticeably taller than Yukina and a little taller than Keiko, but still shorter than either Kuwabara or Shizuru – but he was otherwise physically identical to Hiei. His arms were bound in bandages, only the upper halves of his upper arms and his fingers exposed to view, he was carrying a sword at his left hip – implying that he, just like Hiei, was a right-handed swordsman.

"Nice bandana," Shizuru commented, pointing at the bandana around his head.

He smiled in what looked like a self-conscious manner and touched a hand to the bandana.

"Yes, I like to make myself bandanas when I am on a specific mission," he said. "This is my lucky bandana: I knew I would need luck on my side to escape to this world and to track down my sister."

"Oh hey, I make my own bandanas like that too!" Kuwabara said.

Inukasai smiled and began removing his bandana. Shizuru leaned forwards, watching his movements carefully, fully expecting him to expose a jagan eye when the bandana came loose; but instead he removed the length of cloth to reveal nothing more than a plain forehead.

"This is made from a cloth blessed by the priestess of our village," he said.

"That's nice, kid," Shizuru said bluntly, recovering a packet of cigarettes from her jeans pocket. "So tell us why it's taken you so long to find Yukina."

"Most of my efforts have involved trying to find the ice village," he replied as Shizuru slid a cigarette from the packet. "When our mother failed to return to him, my father unfortunately became very withdrawn. He wouldn't tell me where the ice village could be found, and I was forced to investigate on my own. I travelled for many years and to many places before I finally found what I sought: and even then, my trials and tribulations were far from over. Approaching the ice village and getting someone there to speak with me was almost as difficult as finding the village had been. And even then, I came away with only the confirmation of my mother's death and the knowledge that my sister had moved on. It was some time more before I discovered she had come to this world."

Shizuru flicked her lighter at her cigarette a few times before shaking it angrily and trying again. When it still failed to produce a flame, Inukasai rose to his feet again.

"May I?" he asked.

Shizuru gave him a puzzled look and he smiled, snapping his fingers, a translucent black flame igniting from the tip of his thumb. Shizuru nodded and cautiously leaned towards the flame, aiming the end of her cigarette into it. When the tip of her cigarette began to glow, Inukasai withdrew his hand, the flame vanishing.

"You're a useful little guy to have around…" Shizuru muttered, before taking a long draw on her cigarette.

He was not Hiei, and Shizuru was almost certain that he was in no way related to Yukina: but he did seem pleasant enough, and both Yukina and Kuwabara seemed to like him. Curiosity besting caution, she sat down and listened along with the others as Inukasai continued retelling his life story.

* * *

Hiei glared over his shoulder as the patrol vehicle stopped on the road below the hill he was sitting partway up. He was not entirely surprised to see Mukuro disembark the vehicle and dash up the hillside to join him, but he was surprised when the first words that came out of her mouth were not the apology he felt sure that she owed him.

"I already admitted I made a mistake, don't sit up here and sulk like a petulant little child, Hiei."

Hiei growled and leapt to his feet.

"You look terrible," Mukuro added. "Get back home, clean yourself up, get some sleep and we'll talk in the morning."

"I'm not sulking and I'm not a child!" he growled.

"Yes you are and yes you are," Mukuro flatly replied. "And now you're making a fool of yourself too. Is your obstinacy really worth your dignity? Because right now you're sacrificing your dignity to make this pointless stand."

"Don't talk to me about dignity! I haven't sacrificed my dignity, you slaughtered it when you called me up in front of your men and set about humiliating me! You didn't even listen to me! What if that bastard on the video had been the same height as me? What then?"

"Then he would have been you."

"But he isn't me: and that's the whole point! You just assumed the worst about me before I'd even had the chance to defend myself!"

"I didn't assume the worst, I just don't trust you. Not when it comes to your friends in the living world."

Hiei paused, his mind only focusing on the middle part of Mukuro's answer.

"You don't trust me?" he asked.

"In matters relating to your friends, I don't trust you not to choose them over me or any of your duties," Mukuro calmly replied. "I never have and I don't think I ever will. Not now."

Hiei tensed again.

"What do you mean "not now"?" he demanded. "Nothing has changed: that wasn't me in that video!"

"But look at how defensive you've become," Mukuro replied. "You're acting this way because you know that could have been you. You know that, if the need arose, you would do exactly those things to benefit yourself or your friends, even at the expense of me, the border patrol or demon world in general."

"I'm not acting out of guilt, you idiot, I'm acting out of anger," Hiei snarled. "You're treating me like I'm the one who's misjudged and made a fool of you!"

Mukuro shrugged and Hiei's anger flared. He turned and started to leave, only stopping when Mukuro called his name. He waited for her to say something else, refusing to so much as turn around until she did; but when she finally did speak, she said the last words he wanted to hear.

"You're over-reacting. This is just childish."

Without any further hesitation, Hiei ran off.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Kurama meets Inukasai and finds he needs a second opinion, so he calls in Yusuke; but by then Inukasai has very successfully ingratiated himself with Kuwabara, Yukina and Shizuru. After some more moping, Hiei eventually tracks down Yusuke, but doesn't like what he sees when he finds him. **Chapter 2: Hiei's Sister**


	2. Hiei's Sister

**Chapter 2 – Hiei's Sister**

Kurama hesitated, looking up at the Kuwabara's house from his position still standing on the opposite side of the street. He had exams the next morning, it was past ten at night, he had been forced to climb out his bedroom window to avoid his mother noticing his inappropriately timed absence, but reason had long since been abandoned, as it appeared as though Hiei was visiting Kuwabara.

It was, of course, not unusual for Hiei to visit Yukina, but he usually only did so when she was at Genkai's temple, and even then only rarely. It had been some time since Hiei had last arrived in the living world and his arrivals were never announced or necessarily well-timed, but usually he at least arrived at a decent hour of the day, and he had never entered the Kuwabara's house without at least Kurama at his side.

Unable to resist his own curiosity any longer, Kurama crossed the street and knocked on the door. He heard heavy footsteps running through the house that could only belong to Kuwabara; though he seemed oddly enthusiastic considering that it was exam season.

"Oh hey, Kurama!" Kuwabara cheerfully greeted him as he opened the door.

"Kuwabara," Kurama said. "Is everything alright here?"

"Yeah, everything's great!"

Kurama's curiosity was rapidly turning into suspicion.

"Your timing's great too, Yukina's brother just got here!"

Kurama froze. How had Kuwabara found out that Hiei was Yukina's brother? And why was he so excited about it?

"Come on in and meet him!"

Kurama numbly entered the house, waiting for Kuwabara to close the door behind him before following him through to the living room, where he found Keiko and Shizuru sitting together and Yukina sitting opposite Hiei, who was telling a story the three girls all found simultaneously fascinating and humorous.

"Hey Inukasai, this is Kurama," Kuwabara said.

"Inuk…?" Kurama muttered.

"Hello there."

Kurama watched Hiei stand up and bow his head. He had apparently grown about seven inches taller, lost some muscle mass and had his jagan eye removed since they had last met – which had only been a week ago.

"You feeling okay, Kurama?" Kuwabara asked him.

"You've had a very busy week," Kurama numbly replied.

"Yeah, I've been studying like crazy," Kuwabara said.

Kurama glanced at Kuwabara, who looked so blissfully unaware of the situation, he quickly realised he was wasting his time trying to reason with him. He turned to Yukina – who he had always suspected knew, deep down, that Hiei was the brother she was looking for – but she too seemed to be caught up in the moment. He turned to Keiko, the most detail-oriented person present (after himself) in the hope that she might have noticed the hole in the logic: but, he remembered as he saw her smiling at Inukasai, Keiko had never known that Hiei was Yukina's brother and so probably saw no reason to doubt the imposter before her. He finally turned to Shizuru, who was giving him the sort of look he was sure he had been giving everyone else.

"Coffee?" she asked him.

"Tea would be fine," he replied.

She glanced at the teapot on the table and Kurama realised her meaning.

"Coffee would be better though," he corrected himself.

"It's in the kitchen," she said standing up.

"Let me help you with that."

"Sure."

Shizuru stood and moved as quickly from the room as she could without looking suspicious. Kurama followed her closely, feeling a little better when she closed them into the kitchen and promptly looked as perplexed as he felt.

"What the hell is that?" she asked him, pointing through the wall in the general direction of the living room.

"I was hoping you could tell me," Kurama honestly replied.

"I thought he was Hiei," Shizuru replied. "It felt like Hiei when he was coming here and he even looks kinda like Hiei."

"He's not pretending to be Hiei, however," Kurama said. "The name he gave is quite unusual."

"So… What is he?" Shizuru asked. "And how did he get here?"

"For all intents and purposes, he appears to be an emiko – a fire demon born of the ice village – just like Hiei," Kurama replied. "As for how he got here, I'm afraid I have no idea. How did you encounter him and how did he present himself?"

"He knocked on the front door and said he was Yukina's brother."

"I see… It is odd."

"Is it possible he is actually Yukina's brother?"

Kurama turned startled eyes to Shizuru.

"He knows a lot about where she came from," she explained. "He knows the names of her friends back in the ice village, he knows about the hiruiseki, he knows about their customs… And he does look like Hiei. Did somebody maybe get this wrong?"

"How so?" Kurama asked.

"Well, did somebody maybe mistake Hiei for Inukasai?"

Kurama shook his head, the almost sympathetic smile that appeared on Shizuru's face doing little to ease his concerns.

"Look, whatever the guy is, he's not an asshole," she said. "He's actually quite polite and well-spoken – like Yukina – and I don't sense that he's lying to us… I just don't get it. He's either a really convincing fake or you were all wrong about Hiei being Yukina's brother."

Kurama shook his head again.

"Hiei was told he was Yukina's brother by his mother's friend in the ice village," he explained.

"His mother's friend?" Shizuru asked. "You mean the girl called Rui?"

"Yes, that's correct," Kurama confirmed.

"Yeah, that chick maybe needs to check her facts," Shizuru bluntly replied. "She told Inukasai that he was Yukina's brother."

"No, that's not possible."

"Are you sure?"

Kurama frowned and Shizuru appeared to understand his meaning without the need for him to pull a more exaggerated face at her – a face that would better express exactly how he felt and what he was thinking.

"I know it sounds crazy, but the guy seems genuine," she said. "I like to think I'm pretty good at smelling out a rat and this guy's story – and everything else about him – just doesn't stink."

"It's not possible that Hiei is not Yukina's brother," Kurama insisted.

"Well, maybe it is," Shizuru said.

Kurama's face twisted a little further, threatening to warp into the expression of extreme displeasure and disbelief that he was actually feeling.

"Rui said to Inukasai that he was Yukina's brother," Shizuru continued, despite Kurama's increasingly obvious irritation. "She actually said to him "hey kid, my best friend Hina is your mother, I remember the day you were born, I remember Yukina was your sister, Hina is dead, but Yukina is still alive, she went out looking for you, I hope you find her". Did she say any of that to Hiei?"

"I wasn't there first-hand to witness the conversation between Hiei and Rui," Kurama began.

"Well…" Shizuru said.

"However, neither was I present to witness the alleged conversation between Inukasai and Rui," he continued. "And neither were you. I cannot take the word of a stranger over the word of a friend: and having seen the lengths Hiei has gone to to protect his sister, it's simply not possible that Yukina is not Hiei's sister."

"Did Rui actually say to Hiei that he was Yukina's brother? Did she actually tell him that Hina was his mother? Did he see any of it with his extra eye?"

Kurama opened his mouth to continue arguing but found himself struck by silence as a wave of doubt washed over him: Hiei had not discovered his relation to Yukina via his jagan eye. He had not even discovered his relation to his mother via his jagan eye. He had not even been able to locate his missing hirui stone with his jagan eye: in fact, all he had managed to achieve with his new ability had been to see through the fogs and deceptive energy signals and locate the ice village.

Kurama briefly entertained the idea that what Shizuru was saying might be true: Hiei may have been given false information or misunderstood what he was told when he visited the ice village. Maybe Yukina was not his sister.

"This is ridiculous," he concluded aloud.

"Well I'm not gonna be the one to tell Yukina that her "brother" is a liar," Shizuru replied.

Kurama looked over at her, the suddenly solemn look in her eyes raising another issue in his mind.

"I see," he said. "Yukina believes it to be so, and those immediately around her – with the exception of you, Shizuru – don't know otherwise, and so they believe it too."

"It's not my place to say anything," Shizuru pointed out.

"And nor is it mine," Kurama agreed. "Only Hiei can decide how to proceed with this matter. There is also the matter of who Inukasai actually is: where did he come from, how did he get past the border patrol and why did he come here now, of all times?"

"Yeah," Shizuru agreed. "So will you be going to get those answers after your exam tomorrow or would you like that coffee so you can stay up all night and sort it out right now?"

Kurama started to smile, but when he saw the look on Shizuru's face, he realised that she was serious.

"I'll go after my exam," he said. "And I should go for now. Please make an excuse to the others for me."

Shizuru nodded and Kurama quickly left the house, trying to ignore the sound of Kuwabara laughing and telling Inukasai what a "funny guy" he was as he went.

* * *

Hiei opened his eyes to thin slits, glowering up at the sky from his position curled around on the rock face. It was starting to rain, and if the deeply dark clouds on the distant horizon were any indication, the weather was only set to deteriorate as the day progressed. With a groan of reluctance, he pushed himself up onto one hip. He was still at the top of a stack of stones he had fled to the night before, in the isolated wilderness of land by the outer edge of Mukuro's former territory. It was the furthest point away from Mukuro's base he could have gone to without actually leaving the boundaries of Alaric, and it was a place he had been sure he would get a night's sleep in peace. Obviously his plans had not factored in unforeseen events like sudden inclement weather, and as he lacked the desire or motivation to build himself a shelter, he took a moment to consider whether he would remain where he was and tough out the storm or whether he should move on.

When he noticed a lizard watching him in a very patronising way, he got up, squashed the creature under the sole of his boot, and moved on.

Hiei moved away from the approaching storm, crossing into Tourin with no particular purpose in mind. Between the speed he ran at and the direction he took however, he shortly found himself near Yusuke's demon world home – what had formerly been Raizen's tower – and he decided that since he was coincidentally in the neighbourhood, he may as well pay the mazoku a visit.

It had been some time since Hiei had last spoken with Yusuke – as he moved closer to the tower, he tried to remember exactly how long it had been – but he had heard through Kurama that Yusuke was settling into life in demon world generally quite well. He hoped that the former spirit detective would indulge him in a quick sparring session to help him release some of the pent up energy his anger had manufactured, and maybe then he would be able to think a little clearer about what he should do next.

The very last thing he wanted to do was go back to Mukuro and endure more of her flippant insults or else have his concerns treated dismissively. At least he could count on Yusuke to take the time to listen to what he had to say and – after a few inevitable jokes and playful insults – Yusuke would side entirely with Hiei.

As he neared the entrance of the tower, Hiei noticed three of Yusuke's bald-headed companions approaching him. He decided to wait and let them reach him, though he did not especially like the way the strongest of them was looking at him.

"I've come to visit Yusuke," Hiei said to them. "It's not your concern why. Now get out of my way."

"No," the strongest one said, stepping into Hiei's path as he started to move towards the tower doors again.

Hiei stopped, his anger flaring and his eyes staring unblinkingly at the fool before him.

"Yusuke isn't here," the bald-headed demon explained. "You just missed him though, so you oughta be able to catch him if you leave now."

Hiei narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"He went to see his friends in the living world," the bald-headed demon continued. "Kurama came for him, they left together."

Hiei froze. It was unlike Kurama to visit demon world and collect Yusuke for anything, least of all a casual, social gathering. Something was obviously afoot. Something concerning him, he thought bitterly: why else had neither of them contacted him and invited him to join them?

With a growl of annoyance Hiei spun on his heels and took off in the direction of the nearest portal to the living world.

* * *

"I know you've got a really, really messed up sense of humour, but this is a joke, right?"

"I'm afraid not, no."

Yusuke stared at Kurama, but Kurama kept his head forward and kept walking.

"How the hell did it even happen?" Yusuke asked.

"I don't know," Kurama replied. "But I'd like you to meet him and to give me your opinion on the matter. And, once you've done so, I'd like your assistance in planning how we break the news to Hiei."

Yusuke slowly shook his head. Everything Kurama had just told him sounded so ridiculous, it just had to be a set-up of some kind. Yusuke decided to reserve judgement on the matter – but really only because Kurama was the least likely person he knew to set up such an elaborate hoax – until he had seen the situation for himself. Together they approached the front door of Kuwabara's house, and as Kurama reached out a hand to knock, the door swung open and Kuwabara appeared before them, grinning like an idiot.

"Urameshi!" he said. "Kurama!"

"Kuwabara…" Yusuke flatly replied. "How's it going?"

"Come on in, you guys!" Kuwabara said, stepping back and waving a hand for them to enter.

Yusuke looked over at Kurama, who merely raised his eyebrows slightly, his expression otherwise remaining as serious as it had been the entire time he had been talking about who was apparently at Kuwabara's house.

"Hey you guys, you'll never guess what happened last night," Kuwabara said as they made their way through the house.

"You grew your first hair down there?" Yusuke asked.

"Very funny, Urameshi," Kuwabara replied. "But not even your dumb jokes can spoil this: Yukina found her brother!"

Yusuke looked over at Kurama again, and again the fox demon held his solemn expression.

"Hey Inukasai, these are some buddies of mine."

Yusuke turned his attention back to Kuwabara at the sound of his voice, stepping into the living room and then stopping short as his eyes moved to what stood beyond Kuwabara.

"I don't know if you remember but this is Kurama: he was here last night, but he had to go early. And this punk right here is Yusuke Urameshi."

Yusuke could not stop his face from twisting as Hiei stood up and bowed to him, his expression oddly calm and amiable, his eyes not set in that near-permanent disapproving squint they usually were, his shoulders relaxed rather than squared.

"Hello there."

Even his voice was more relaxed and even-toned.

"Hey you," Yusuke said, running his eyes over Hiei curiously.

"Yusuke and I were just discussing your visit here before we arrived," Kurama said. "We both wondered how you managed to reach this realm from demon world: were you not detained at all by the border patrol?"

"What the hell are you talking about, fox boy?" Yusuke asked. "The border patrol wouldn't stop him, he is the border patrol!"

Yusuke silently wondered why Kurama was looking at him as though he was the one who had just said something ridiculous.

"I understand your concerns," Hiei said. "But I had to find a way to get here, a way to reach my sister, Yukina."

"Since the installation of the patrol, few demons have passed the borders," Kurama said. "And those who have, have always been swiftly apprehended on this side of the border. If it has not already happened, you ought to expect a patrol unit to come looking for you."

"Yes, I appreciate that," Hiei replied. "It was very fortunate for me that Mister Kuwabara allowed me to stay here last night, but I do understand that I must return to demon world, as my visit here is an unsanctioned one."

"Okay, what the hell are you talking about, Hiei?" Yusuke snapped.

The room fell silent in a way that even Yusuke thought was uncomfortable.

"Urameshi!" Kuwabara hissed, leaning closer to Yusuke. "That's not Hiei! His name's Inukasai!"

Yusuke wanted to tell Kuwabara he was being ridiculous, but when he saw the look of genuine confusion on Hiei's face – or rather the look of genuine confusion on Hiei's lookalike's face – Yusuke started to think that maybe, just maybe, everything Kurama had said on the way to Kuwabara's house was true. He took a moment to study the fake Hiei a little closer, seeing then that he was too tall to be the real Hiei, standing only a few inches shorter than Yusuke himself; he was too scrawny to be Hiei; his forehead was bare and bereft of a third eye; and his general demeanour was undeniably less tense and unapproachable than Hiei's.

"Hey man, how's it going?" he said, trying to force a smile as he looked at Inukasai.

"Very well thank you Mister Urameshi," Inukasai replied. "But I believe Mister Kurama is correct: I really should return to demon world before I bring any trouble to this household. My hosts here have been most generous and gracious, I wouldn't want to cause them any bother. If you don't mind, I would like a moment alone with my sister, so that we might make arrangements to meet again."

"Hey, you don't have to leave, buddy!" Kuwabara said to him. "Urameshi knows people in demon world who can fix this for you, right Urameshi? Can't you get Inukasai a pass to stay here or something?"

"What the hell do you think I am Kuwabara, a damn hall monitor?" Yusuke snapped. "And besides, it doesn't work that way. A demon can't just get a pass to live in the human world. It's way more complicated than that."

"It is a delicate matter, and for now, I believe Inukasai's suggestion would be the wisest approach," Kurama added. "You should return home as soon as you can, Inukasai. And for now, we will give you a moment alone with Yukina."

He started for the door and indicated for the others to follow him, leading them all to the kitchen. Once they were there, Kurama closed the door.

"Isn't Yukina's brother great?" Kuwabara said as the door closed.

Kurama glanced at Yusuke before turning to Shizuru, who gave a small nod of her head.

"Hey Kazuma, why don't you head down to the local shop and get some more of that soda your new friend liked so much," she said, retrieving her wallet from her pants' pocket.

"Yeah, okay," Kuwabara agreed, taking her wallet and leaving without hesitation or question.

After hearing the front door close behind Kuwabara, Yusuke turned to Shizuru.

"Okay, I know you know that guy isn't really Yukina's brother, so who the hell is he?" he asked.

Shizuru shrugged, but looked far too indifferent about the matter – even though she usually looked indifferent about most matters.

"He believes Yukina is his sister, and Yukina believes he is her brother," she said. "I don't know what else to tell you. He's been a really well-behaved house guest – even by human standards he's been really polite and humble."

"He does appear to be an emiko born of the ice village," Kurama added. "His resemblance to Hiei goes beyond the physical."

"Yeah, his energy even feels like Hiei's," Yusuke agreed.

"I don't get the feeling he's lying about anything he's told us," Shizuru said. "And Yukina adores him already."

"Yes, and no doubt Kuwabara is delighted at this outcome," Kurama said. "To find that Yukina's brother is someone he can share a pleasant conversation with is surely preferable to learning that he is in fact in love with Hiei's sister."

"Yeah, sure, it would be convenient for Kuwabara if that guy in there was Yukina's real brother," Yusuke said. "But the fact is, he's not. Yukina is Hiei's sister. Right?"

Yusuke glanced back and forth between Kurama and Shizuru, silently wondering why neither of them were agreeing with him and why they both looked slightly apprehensive.

"Right?" he pressed.

"Well…" Shizuru began.

"Well what?" Yusuke echoed. "Gees, what are you getting at? The guy is a fake! If Hiei finds out about any of this, he'll kill that guy and probably Kuwabara too for believing him!"

"Yeah, but that's not gonna happen, is it Yusuke?"

Yusuke paused, the look on Shizuru's face making him suddenly concerned.

"Look, Yukina has lived here with us for a while now, and I can tell you two things about that girl," she continued. "First of all, she hides a lot of sadness because she misses her family. Sure, she likes all of us, but when she lost her mother, she started out to find her brother, and finding him was the only thing that gave her hope and helped her deal with the loss of her mother. Finding her brother is the only thing that girl has ever wanted. And last night, she got that wish, and I've never seen her happier."

"Are you for real?" Yusuke asked.

"And second of all, Yukina has been relying on Hiei to help her find her brother, and instead of growing a pair, swallowing his pride and just telling the poor girl the truth, Hiei has messed her about," Shizuru said. "He rarely visits her, and when he does, he always tells her some depressing story about how her brother is probably dead and she's a fool for continuing to search for him or to wait for him. Every time he says things like that to Yukina, he upsets her. She pretends she's okay with it, you all see her smiling and thanking Hiei for his efforts, but I'm the one who has to lie awake at night listening to her cry herself to sleep afterwards."

"Okay, well, I didn't know about that part," Yusuke conceded.

"The arrival of Inukasai is convenient for more than just Kuwabara then," Kurama said.

"I'm just saying, we don't know for sure that he's not actually her brother," Shizuru said. "He makes her really happy, he's a nice guy, he gets along with my brother – which should really tell you how patient he is – and he came here with the best of intentions. Unless Hiei shows up and comes clean, I don't really know what else we can do."

Yusuke glanced at Kurama, finding that the fox demon looked unaffected by Shizuru's last remark.

"Are you saying we should all just pretend that guy is really Yukina's brother?" Yusuke asked her.

When she did not answer, Yusuke turned to Kurama.

"Kurama?" he said.

Kurama gave a slight shake of his head.

"I don't know what to tell you, Yusuke," he said. "It's not our place to interfere – and don't see how we even could without admitting to knowing the true identity of Yukina's brother, which would then oblige us to reveal Hiei's secret. I don't agree with Shizuru that Inukasai is actually Yukina's brother, but likewise I don't intend to tell anyone else otherwise."

"But if we don't do something, that guy is gonna move right in on Hiei's territory," Yusuke said. "Don't we have a duty, as Hiei's friends, to get rid of this asshole?"

"He's really not an asshole, Yusuke," Shizuru said through a sigh.

"This whole situation would be so much easier if he were," Kurama commented.

"But… He's a…" Yusuke tried. "Come on! Shizuru, how would you feel if some girl who looked just like you showed up and told Kuwabara that she was his real sister?"

"Chance would be a fine thing," Shizuru said. "If you know anybody like that, get her to call me: she's welcome to Kazuma."

"This is serious," Yusuke said. "And for me to say that, you gotta know that it really is."

"Yes, and I think that now we have established that Inukasai is not a threat to Yukina or anyone else, we must ensure that he returns to demon world safely," Kurama said.

"What?" Yusuke echoed.

"Our next duty is to find and inform Hiei," Kurama finished.

"Oh great," Yusuke said with a sigh. "Exactly how I wanted to spend my Friday: playing bodyguard to a fake Hiei and telling the real Hiei just about the worst thing I possibly could. You do know Hiei's gonna flip out over this, right?"

"It's imperative that we inform Hiei as soon as possible," Kurama insisted. "How he reacts and how he chooses to deal with the situation will affect how the rest of us can process it. Bear in mind also that Hiei holds a position of authority within the border patrol, and as such, Inukasai's sentence for crossing the borderline will be at Hiei's discretion."

"I really wish you'd stop talking now, because you're making this sound even more depressing."

Kurama nodded as though he accepted Yusuke's statement.

"You're gonna check out whether this guy is actually Yukina's brother too though, right?" Shizuru asked.

Yusuke glanced back and forth between Shizuru and Kurama, surprised to see them both looking serious.

"We need to make contact with Hiei first and foremost," Kurama said. "After all, the decision as to how we deal with this is ultimately his."

* * *

Hiei was rapidly losing the ability to think coherently; or perhaps just to think at all. He had arrived in the living world and followed Yusuke's energy signal, not entirely surprised to find that it took him to the Kuwabara's house, and so he had run to his usual start point for approaching Kuwabara's house: standing on top of the streetlight outside the house that afforded him a good view into both the living room on the ground floor of the house and the bedroom above it where Yukina slept. At the time of day he had arrived, he was expecting to find Yukina at home alone; which had made Yusuke's presence there all the more suspicious. However, when he had arrived, the first thing he had noticed had made him forget all about the time of day or the fact that typical routines were not being followed.

He was already there, sitting in the living room, drinking tea and fraternising with Kuwabara, Yukina and Yusuke's girlfriend.

Of course, it was not actually him down there. Clearly it was the other emiko, the one from the video Mukuro had shown him, the one who looked just like him. Hiei's first reaction to seeing the imposter was confusion. In his ire at being falsely accused of having sabotaged an entire patrol unit and the ensuing reactions of those around him, Hiei had been so focused on how wronged he had been and how angry the wound to his pride had made him feel that he had not even considered the fact that the demon in the photographs and in the video was an actual physical being, still at large somewhere, walking around wearing his face and his clothes.

However, after a few short minutes or watching the faker schmoozing with Yukina and the two humans, Hiei's confusion very quickly gave way to anger. This emiko was a real being, who had very realistically sabotaged a patrol unit – of the border patrol that Hiei was primarily responsible for the operation of – he had gone to the living world and now, just to really add insult to injury, he was at Kuwabara's house and Yukina appeared to be fascinated by every word he uttered.

When Kuwabara's sister led Kurama and Yusuke into the room, the streetlight beneath Hiei's feet began to shudder as Hiei himself shook with rage. He watched through a pained sneer of blinding fury as all seven occupants of the room sat down together and drank tea, talking and laughing as though one of them was not the biggest phony ever to have existed.

It briefly occurred to Hiei that what he was witnessing was actually highly unusual – although he had heard that there were other emikos in demon world, Hiei had never before encountered one, and he had never even considered that another emiko would look so like he did – but before any sense of reasoning could really take hold in his mind, wrath once more took over common sense and Hiei launched himself off the streetlight, landing by the porch. He marched straight into the house, without knocking on the door or removing his boots, and continued into the living room where he drew out his sword and pointed it at the source of his anger.

"Whoa, hey, Hiei, when did you get here?" Yusuke said.

Hiei ignored him, his eyes focused on what almost felt like his own reflection. The emiko was on his feet and his hands were held up in surrender, the tip of Hiei's sword mere inches from his throat.

"Immediately explain to me why you attacked a border patrol unit and stole away to this world or I will not hesitate to kill you," Hiei warned him.

"Ah, you've come to arrest me because I attacked the guards, of course."

Hiei was mildly consoled to hear that the imposter sounded nothing like him. The resemblance between them, whilst startling, had at least not stretched as far as their voices.

"You can't arrest Inukasai, Hiei!" Kuwabara protested.

Hiei moved his eyes to the lumbering human fool.

"I'll deal with you later," he said.

He moved his eyes back to the emiko – apparently named Inukasai – and tensed himself in preparation of simply running his sword right through the idiot's throat. He had initially thought about getting some answers from him, about taking him back to demon world and handing him over to Mukuro as absolute proof of his own innocence: but the sight of Inukasai bonding with Yusuke, Kurama and Yukina was simply too much. He had to die.

"No, please!"

Despite still being almost literally blinded by rage, Hiei snatched his sword back, dropping his arm to his side, as Yukina leapt in front of Inukasai, holding her arms out at her sides and staring at Hiei with wide, frightened eyes.

"Please don't fight!" she said. "I know it's your duty as part of the border patrol to return demons to demon world, but Inukasai isn't a criminal! He's my brother."

Hiei's sword fell to the floor, disturbing Kuwabara's cat in the process, sending the startled feline fleeing from the room.

"After all this time I've been looking for him, he actually found me," Yukina continued. "Isn't it wonderful? And now you don't have to search any more."

Yukina had tears in her eyes and she was smiling – both expressions of her elation – but when she reached out an upturned palm towards Hiei the depth of his own emotions quickly overtook hers, his anger rapidly turning into unadulterated horror; before she even opened her mouth, Hiei already knew what his sister was going to say next.

"May I please have my hirui stone back, Mister Hiei?"

Something throbbed in Hiei's knees and he had to concentrate to keep himself upright.

"You have no more need for it now that I've found my brother. Thank you so much for all your help though."

Hiei stared blankly back at his sister. He did not even care that Inukasai had caused him so much bother just so that he could get to Yukina to tell her he was her brother, he only cared that Yukina had believed him. And, by the look on her face, it was abundantly clear that she did believe him. She was still holding out her hand expectantly, but the look on her face was starting to change from the joyful expression of her declaration to a look of increasing confusion laced with just the faintest hint of irritation, as though Hiei's delay in returning her hiruiseki to her was something that seemed nonsensical to her.

"C'mon Hiei," Kuwabara said. "You can't arrest Inukasai now. And besides, how many times have you done things Yusuke should have arrested you for?"

Hiei found the strength to blink. He tried to make himself talk – even if only just to issue Kuwabara with a biting insult – he tried to make himself move – even if just to retrieve his sword – but with every passing second, Yukina's expression was becoming more and more confused and the hint of irritation was turning into something more palpable, and the sight of such emotions on his sister's face, and the knowledge that he had inspired them, was making it harder and harder to even think let alone act.

"This is a delicate matter," Kurama said, stepping forwards to stand alongside Yukina. "Perhaps Yusuke and I should discuss this with Hiei first and then we can all reconvene and decide what to do next."

"I understand that I should return to demon world, Mister Kurama," Inukasai said. "I certainly didn't mean to bring trouble like this to my dear sister's door: if my departure will mend this fiasco, than I shall go immediately."

"You don't have to go anywhere, Inukasai," Kuwabara said. "You only just got here, and you're still catching up with Yukina."

"Okay, let's take this outside," Yusuke said, slipping past Kurama.

From the corner of his eye Hiei saw Yusuke pick up his dropped sword and wave for Kurama to follow him.

"Let's discuss this," Kurama said quietly, stepping towards Hiei.

Hiei looked up at Kurama, over at Inukasai, around at Kuwabara and then finally returned his gaze to Yukina. When he saw that she was still holding out her hand, he finally regained a little of his senses.

"Fine," he said, turning to Kurama again.

He turned and left the room with Kurama following closely behind. On instinct he followed the route Yusuke was taking, eventually finding himself in the kitchen. Yusuke began helping himself to a bottle of soda from the fridge and Kurama loitered by the door, only closing it after they had been joined by one other person.

"What's she doing here?" Hiei asked, pointing at Kuwabara's sister.

"Shizuru was here when Inukasai arrived," Kurama explained as he secured the door. "She's the person best placed to give an objective opinion on him."

"Objective opinion?" Hiei spat, his anger quickly returning with the sight of Yukina's expectant frustration gone from his field of vision. "That bastard nearly got me thrown out of my job and arrested and now he's here nesting with Yukina and Kuwabara!"

"Hiei, we're as shocked as you are, I assure you," Kurama said, sounding far too calm to possibly be even a fraction as shocked as Hiei felt. "But we must address the facts here: have you come here on behalf of the border patrol to apprehend Inukasai?"

"No, I just came here to kill him!" Hiei shot back.

"Right, but you knew about him?" Yusuke asked. "You knew he was here? Mukuro sent you because the border patrol reported he'd got through to the living world?"

Hiei faltered slightly as memories of his discussion with Mukuro about Inukasai's assault of the patrol unit flitted through his mind.

"You weren't ordered to come here and arrest him?" Kurama asked.

"No, but I ought to!" Hiei recovered.

"Did you come here because you sensed his approach then?" Kurama asked, ignoring Hiei's threat. "I must confess, it was his energy signal that drew me here last night."

Hiei glared at Kurama, his fists clenching at his sides.

"Last night?" he ground out. "That bastard has been here, at this house, since last night?"

"He slept in my brother's room," Shizuru offered. "We couldn't just turn him away, he told us he was Yukina's brother, and she and Kazuma both believed him."

Hiei turned his attention to Shizuru.

"This isn't any of your concern and I advise you to stay the hell out of it," he warned her in a low growl.

"Hiei, the problem is, Inukasai does genuinely appear to believe that Yukina is his sister," Kurama said. "And Yukina is already very fond of him – as you no doubt just saw – and Kuwabara has befriended him with ease. This situation will be beyond salvation if you do not act quickly."

Hiei slowly rounded on Kurama, stalking towards him. Kurama did not retreat and so Hiei was forced to stop when he was standing immediately in front of the fox demon.

"What are you implying, Kurama?" he asked through tightly clenched teeth. "Because I really don't like it when you skirt around the subject. Be direct or keep your asinine opinions to yourself."

"Hiei, if you don't tell Yukina the truth today, you will lose her forever."

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Hiei's dilemma hits fever pitch, but, just as it seems nobody is willing to accommodate his point of view, he finds an unexpected ally in the form of a certain ferry girl. After a confrontation between Inukasai and Botan turns nasty, Hiei is confused by what follows, but believes the answers to his problems may be just around the corner (too bad for him they're not, otherwise this would just be a 4-chapter fic). **Chapter 3: Dog in the Manger**


	3. Dog in the Manger

**Chapter 3 – Dog in the Manger**

"What are you implying, Kurama? Because I really don't like it when you skirt around the subject. Be direct or keep your asinine opinions to yourself."

"Hiei, if you don't tell Yukina the truth today, you will lose her forever."

Hiei leaned back from Kurama, finding for the second time that day that it was possible for even the most passionate of anger to vanish almost instantaneously.

"Hey Hiei, I don't like this either, but I think Kurama's got a point," Yusuke added, as though he thought Hiei's lack of a response was because he wanted to hear more unhelpful opinions from other people. "You know Yukina's been looking for her brother, you know she never gives up no matter what anyone says to her, so you gotta know she's gonna believe this guy and be all over him unless you tell her the truth."

"Yes, and only you can tell her the truth Hiei," Kurama said.

"Assuming you are her brother."

Hiei turned to Shizuru at her last remark, caught between the desire to slit her throat to silence her and a perverse want to demand an explanation from her.

"Really?" Yusuke said. "This again?"

"Hiei, did you know of Inukasai at all before today?" Kurama asked Hiei. "He is an emiko, just like you are, born of the ice village, and he appears to be about the same age as you–"

"What did you just say?" Hiei cut him off.

"I said Inukasai is an emiko, just like–"

"No, you just said he's the same age as me."

"Yes."

"Are you blind? He's clearly a lot older than me – yet another damn good reason why he can't be Yukina's twin brother!"

Hiei directed his last remark at Shizuru, who looked almost entirely unfazed by the glare he was giving her.

"Really?" Yusuke said.

"Yes, really!" Hiei snapped, rounding on Yusuke. "He must be nearly twice my age!"

"Really?" Yusuke asked, sounding incredulous.

Hiei growled and bared his teeth and Yusuke finally appeared to realise how insolent he was acting as he made an attempt to hide the surprise in his face.

"Well, I mean, I guess he does look older than Yukina…" he conceded. "Though to be completely honest, so do you. I guess that's just like what Kuwabara always says about you though, right? You had a rough childhood and you had to grow up way faster than most kids."

"Are you trying to piss me off?" Hiei growled. "Kuwabara knows nothing about me and is no authority on this matter!"

"I think they both look too old to be Yukina's twin," Shizuru commented.

"Didn't you hear what I just said, woman?" Hiei snapped, rounding on her. "I said Kuwabara is no authority on this: neither the stupid oafish Kuwabara nor the dour ironic Kuwabara!"

"On the contrary Hiei, Shizuru has spent a considerable amount of time around Inukasai," Kurama interrupted. "And she has an unquestionable ability to sense something improper and to see through an idle ruse. Shizuru, has your guest given you any reason to suspect that he has any ill intentions towards anyone or that he might be plotting something untoward?"

"He's pretending to be me!" Hiei said before Shizuru could answer. "That's something untoward and improper!"

"He's not pretending to be you, Hiei," Shizuru said. "He gave his name as Inukasai, he said his father is the leader of the dog demon tribe, he's from a mountain village, he said his mother is an ice maiden named Hina, and that it was Hina's best friend Rui who cast him out of the ice village at birth."

Hiei was unsure what angered him more: the fact that Kuwabara's deadpan sister was suddenly such an expert on his life or that she genuinely seemed to think he was lying about any part of it.

"Are you calling me a liar?" he asked her.

"Nobody said that, Hiei," Kurama quickly jumped in. "But there has obviously been some confusion somewhere along the line. Inukasai insists that Rui told him he was Hina's son and that he had a twin sister named Yukina."

"Rui is a short-sighted bitch!" Hiei retorted. "She's so blind, she couldn't even see properly to throw me in a straight line when she threw me off the cliff! There's a lot of fog in the ice village!"

"The two of you do really look alike too," Yusuke added. "As babies, you were probably identical. It's weird that. You both had different parents, but you both ended up looking exactly the same."

"We don't look exactly the same!" Hiei argued.

"I guess not," Yusuke agreed. "He's taller than you."

Hiei turned to Yusuke, grabbing back his sword from the mazoku's hand. Once he had his weapon back he realised he was not sure who he wanted to turn it on: Yusuke for repeating Mukuro's mistake, Kurama for being far too calm and logical, Shizuru for interfering or Kuwabara for fawning over the phony.

"Take a moment to think this over very carefully, Hiei."

"Or what?" Hiei demanded, turning to Kurama.

"As I already stated Hiei, this is very much a do or die situation: if you do not tell Yukina the truth now, you will never be able to, and you will have to accept the fact that she considers Inukasai to be her brother," Kurama replied.

Hiei looked around the others. Shizuru looked as though she almost hoped that he would not tell Yukina the truth, Kurama looked neutral – though Hiei felt that he was being patronising – and Yusuke looked as though he was about to say something stupid.

"It's not like you haven't had loads of great opportunities to tell her already, Hiei."

Hiei made to leave after Yusuke's comment, but stopped when he felt a hand on his arm. He pulled his arm from Kurama's hold and glared back at him, lingering only long enough to find out why the fox demon had halted his exit.

"Hiei, just step outside, gather your thoughts and make a decision. If you walk away from this now, you have, perhaps unwittingly, made the decision to allow this to continue as it is. And you should consider that if you choose not to tell Yukina the truth or if you just choose to just walk away, you have an obligation to return Yukina's hirui stone to her as she asked."

Hiei grunted out a noise of disgust and fled. He shortly found a way out into the enclosed back garden, at the back of which stood an especially lush tree. Hiei shot up the tree, burying himself within its thick foliage. He then stowed his sword and removed Yukina's hiruiseki from around his neck, attempting to hold it in the air to study it; but his hands were shaking too badly to hold it still.

There were simply no words to explain how he felt at that moment.

In the space of a day, his entire life had been turned on its head. It was not that he was not accustomed to having to make abrupt new beginnings in his life, but he had worked so hard to get to where he was, and he felt as though everything he had been taking for granted lately was suddenly slipping through his fingers with no way to keep a hold of it. He felt like he was losing everything and was powerless to stop it. He could barely even keep a hold of Yukina's hirui stone; he had started to sweat profusely, making his shaky grip even less certain. He eventually settled for encasing the stone in both of his fists and holding it to his chest.

He thought about his own hiruiseki, still in Mukuro's chambers. He had no real desire to get his own stone back, but the thought of relinquishing Yukina's – even to Yukina herself – was somehow impossible to fathom.

Why was nobody else as outraged as he was? Why had Mukuro not apologised for falsely accusing him of something? Why had she not realised he would never do such a thing? Why was Kurama backing him into a corner and trying to force him to do something he had always made clear he never wanted to do? Why was Yusuke so flippant about the whole thing? Why was Kuwabara – the supposedly super spiritually aware, sensitive psychic – befriending an imposter and letting him get close to Yukina? Why was Kuwabara's sister getting involved and falling for everything Inukasai was saying? And, most of all, why had Yukina believed it all, without even one shred of doubt?

A very small part of Hiei had suspected that Yukina knew that he was her brother. Sometimes, when he had tried to tell her to give up her search, tried to convince her that her brother was dead, she had said some things and looked at him in certain ways that had made him wonder if maybe she had figured it out. Maybe she had always known the truth, maybe she was just waiting for him to confirm or admit to it.

But seeing her with Inukasai, there was no doubt whatsoever that she had accepted him as her brother.

The battle was already lost.

Why did nobody else understand or care about what was happening?

"It's just such a lovely day, I just wanted to show you the garden!"

Hiei stiffened, his eyes moving to the source of the voice that had interrupted his thoughts. Through the densely packed leaves around him he could barely make out a fragmented image of Inukasai walking towards the centre of the garden, being guided forwards by a pair of hands on his shoulders.

"Isn't it delightful? Yukina planted many of the flowers herself, so I thought you, as her brother, would like to see the fruits of her labour!"

"Why yes, that is delightful."

Hiei leaned over a little as Inukasai stopped walking. He wondered when the ferry girl had arrived and why she of all people was acting as a tour guide for the faker, but she always had been an immense fool, and so he was not surprised that she had fallen for the impostor's little act too. She ought to know better because she – just like Kurama, Yusuke and apparently even Kuwabara's sister – knew that Yukina was Hiei's sister, but of course she too had fallen for the words of the silver-tongued bastard.

"Perhaps we should invite Yukina and Mister Kuwabara to join us out here?" Inukasai said in his irritatingly pitch-perfect voice. "Between them they would better be able to tell us which parts of the lovely garden they were responsible for."

The ferry girl moved to stand at Inukasai's side, her ponytail flicking about as she did a very exaggerated survey of her surroundings, her attention lingering on the house a little longer, before she turned to look directly at him.

"Alright, you can cut the crap now, "Inukasai"."

Hiei froze, the look of shock on Inukasai's face almost a reflection of what he himself felt at hearing the ferry girl's words. For a brief, glorious, moment, Hiei actually thought that someone had finally had the good sense to see what was really happening, someone had finally had the courage to stand up and point out the fact that Inukasai was a lying bastard. But, when he saw the pink and blue abomination put her hands on her hips – or rather, her sleeves on her hips, as her hands were concealed beneath her over-sized kimono sleeves – and pout at Inukasai, he realised his mistake: she was not calling Inukasai out on his claim to be Yukina's brother, she thought he actually was Hiei, and she was about to accuse him of mocking her.

"I'm sorry Miss, I'm not sure that I understand," Inukasai said.

"Listen here, you might have everybody else fooled with your little act, but I'm not falling for it!" the ferry girl snapped back at him.

"I don't understand the basis of your ire: did I say or do something to offend you?" Inukasai asked.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, you did!"

"I see. I certainly didn't mean to."

"Anyone who messes with the heart of the sweetest girl I have ever known is very offensive to me!"

"I-I'm genuinely at a loss as to what you are referring to–"

"Oh, give it a rest! You know Yukina is not your sister. You have no right to come into her life, lie to her and mess her about like this! You are going to march right back into that house young man, and you are going to apologise to Yukina. You are going to tell her that you made a mistake, that you are not her brother and then you are going to crawl back under whatever stone it was that you dwelled beneath before you emerged from it and came here to ruin everybody's happiness! Do you understand me?"

A long silence followed, during which Hiei was almost certain he felt more surprised than Inukasai looked.

"But Yukina is my sister," Inukasai eventually recovered.

"Oh no she is not!" the ferry girl argued back. "And you are going to tell her the truth right now, or so help me, I will make you wear this oar!"

The ferry girl's oar appeared in her hand and, were she a creature of any great strength, Hiei might have taken her threat seriously: she certainly looked as though she intended to ram her oar – blade first – up whichever of Inukasai's orifices she could reach first if he did not comply with her demands.

"Miss, I don't understand why you are being so hostile towards me, but I'm going to have to ask you to restrain yourself," Inukasai said, his previously smooth voice gaining a slightly gritty edge to it.

"You're the one who needs restraining!" the ferry girl replied, unaffected by his threat.

"I don't like that someone as volatile as you spends time around my sister," Inukasai said, his voice even harsher.

"Yukina is not your sister!" the ferry girl argued back. "You're a liar and a fraud and you will break that girl's heart!"

"I don't know why you doubt me so. I have searched long and hard for my sister and to be finally reunited with her is a very joyous event for both her and me: your bitterness is most unwelcome here. I propose that you are the one hurting Yukina, not I."

"You are a monster and I won't allow you to continue this charade!"

The ferry girl grasped her oar firmly and drew it back. Hiei already knew she would never manage to connect with a blow, but he was mildly amused that she was even trying it, as being attacked by a servant of spirit world was quite insulting to even the lowest class of demon, and so Inukasai was about to suffer a wound of some sort. As he had expected, Inukasai effortlessly caught her oar in one hand as it swung towards him, halting it instantly.

What happened next was not something Hiei had expected, and as such, the ferry girl was on her knees before he had even registered what had occurred.

"I had to do that, you were being hysterical," Inukasai said, his voice once more smooth.

He threw the ferry girl's oar down at her side, but she was still on all fours, her head down, one hand pressed to the ground supporting her weight and the other hovering in the air by one side of her face.

"You're a neurotic mess, and I don't want you around my sister," Inukasai said.

Hiei dropped from the tree and darted across the garden, using the momentum of his forward motion to add force as he punched Inukasai in the jaw with a lethal right jab. Apparently the idiot had neither felt Hiei's approach nor expected the attack because Hiei's strike was true, and Inukasai was sent flying into the corner of the garden, where he landed in a pile of freshly raked sakura petals. When he did not get up, Hiei turned his attention to the ferry girl, who was starting to stand, one hand holding her oar at her side, the other still fluttering at her face. She took a moment to notice him and when she did she looked horrified.

"Oh, Hiei!" she said in a panicked tone. "Something terrible has happened!"

"I already know," Hiei said, deciding to save her the bother of trying to lie about Inukasai's presence at Kuwabara's house.

"You-you do?" she asked. "It's awful! It's just… It's an outrage! I am outraged!"

"…Me too," Hiei quietly replied.

He was almost certain it was the first time he had agreed with her about anything – and it seemed odd that this should be the first thing they did share a common opinion on. But he did not have long to linger on the thought as he heard the back door clicking and Kuwabara calling for Inukasai.

"Follow me."

Hiei had left the garden and crossed two further gardens before realising what he had just said. He did not really know why he had asked the ferry girl to come with him; after all, he had only been thinking that she too ought to flee after what had happened, not specifically that she ought to come with him. And as he ran, it also occurred to him that he had no idea where he would go: Mukuro was being difficult, Yusuke, Kurama and Yukina were all back at Kuwabara's house with Inukasai, and he did not know anyone else who would let him live with them until he had fixed the mess he found himself in.

And so he just kept running.

* * *

Botan was glad when Hiei finally stopped, because it had been a strain for her to fly in a straight line, let alone keep up with him. She gladly lowered herself to the ground, hopping off her oar and banishing it before climbing down the riverbank to the stretch of sand Hiei had moved to. The location was quite isolated, but she considered that a good thing, as she was sure that Hiei was going to be even more furious than she was, and he would probably vent his anger in more ways than just verbally, making him a danger to anyone else.

"I can't believe that the nerve of that boy!" she said as she joined Hiei by the water's edge. "He's a liar and a fraud and he's deceiving the most innocent girl imaginable! And why does he have to talk that way? Nobody is that polite and humble, not even Kurama! He's so fake, it makes me sick! And what is wrong with everyone else? Why aren't Yusuke, Kurama and Shizuru outraged about this travesty of justice? Even Kuwabara is at fault here: I know he doesn't know that Inukasai isn't Yukina's brother, but he should have the good sense to see what a phony the boy is!"

Botan sighed and turned to look at Hiei, finding him staring up at her, his eyes wide and his face set into an expression she had never seen him wear before.

"I can't even imagine how all this must be for you," she added, her tone softening. "You know he's a fake, but there's nothing you can do about it without either telling Yukina the truth or looking like a bad guy for sending away Yukina's oh-so-perfect brother. Seriously though, nobody is that perfect! I hate him!"

Botan's eyes wandered to the river; the sight of the sun sparkling on the water's surface was usually a calming sight for her to behold, but it was failing to ease her ire at that moment. She tried to stay focused on it and tried to calm down enough to stop shaking, but her concentration snapped when something touched the side of her face.

"Ow!" she yelped, leaning away from the source of the contact.

Hiei was still watching her with the same look on his face and his hand remained outstretched in the air between them, his fingers lingering at the point where they had prodded into her cheek.

"Don't touch it, it really hurts!" she told him.

Hiei's face changed then, finally back into an expression that Botan both recognised and found to be more typical for the fire demon: a sneer of anger.

"You shouldn't be getting involved in this, you meddlesome wretch!" he spat. "It's your own fault that he slapped you!"

"I was trying to help you, Hiei!" she argued back. "And he slapped me really hard!"

"You were about to slap him with your oar!" Hiei pointed out. "He was only retaliating. You were the one who initiated it!"

"He showed his true colours back there!" Botan replied. "You wouldn't have hit me like that, even if I had smacked you over the head with my oar!"

"No, I would have just used my sword to turn you into a kebab!"

"No you wouldn't have, Hiei! You would have just taken my oar from me, or broken it, called me a name and walked away! You're not an evil manipulative beast like Inukasai is!"

Botan faltered as Hiei's face momentarily returned to that unusual, indefinable expression. He quickly recovered his anger however.

"Why are you so angry about this?" he demanded.

"Because Yukina is my friend and that monster is lying to her and playing with her feelings!" Botan replied. "And because Yusuke, Kurama and even Kuwabara are being completely unreasonable by letting that boy get close to Yukina! They owe it to Yukina to shun him and they owe it to you to get rid of him!"

"This is my problem, not yours, or anyone else's!"

"This absolutely is my problem!"

"What?"

"I'm your friend, you obstinate idiot, and as such, I can't stand by and let this happen!"

Hiei's face reverted back to the unusual expression and Botan found her own anger fading; which she quickly regretted, as the rush of adrenaline her anger had generated had distracted her from the still searing pain all down one side of her face where Inukasai had slapped her so forcefully.

"You're not my friend," Hiei eventually said, his voice barely audible and his expression stuck somewhere between the unusual one and a sneer of disgust. "We don't even like each other."

"That's a fine way to talk to a friend who cheered you on all through the demon world tournament!" Botan snapped back at him.

"You-you were… What?"

"If I'm completely honest, I expected Yusuke to win, but I cheered for you and Kurama too, as my friends."

Hiei's face changed again, into yet another expression Botan had never seen him wear, though this time at least it looked vaguely like a pensive expression, which was slightly easier to process. Although Hiei was not exactly the pensive type, it was definitely easier to deal with him thinking than it was to deal with him looking what had almost seemed to be confused.

"Sit down."

Botan hesitated to respond to Hiei's quietly spoken order, but when he held his position, one finger pointed at a nearby rock, his eyes looking into hers unblinkingly, she conceded and did as he asked. Once she was seated, Hiei started to do something that made her wonder if she ought to have followed him in the first place: after all, he had hardly been agreeable to deal with.

"Hiei?" she said quietly. "What are you doing?"

Hiei did not answer her, instead finishing his task, his hands lowering from his head and taking his bandana with them.

"You can't control me with your jagan," she told him.

She tried to look defiant, but truthfully she was not sure about the claim she had just made. Hiei had not been able to control her with his jagan when they had first met, but he had not long acquired the third eye at that point, and since then he had honed his skills to the extent that he could use his jagan eye to master the dragon of the darkness flame. So maybe he could now control a ferry girl if he wanted to.

Botan's concern turned to confusion and more than a hint of curiosity when Hiei walked into the river, only moving in far enough that his booted feet were barely submerged, and then squatted down and pushed his hands – and his bandana – underwater. He held his position for several seconds before standing up, squeezing out his bandana and folding it over as he walked out of the river and towards the rock Botan was still sitting on. She wanted to ask him what he was doing, but instead she grunted as he grabbed the underside of her jaw a little roughly in one hand and tilted her head back and she yelped as he used his other hand to press his wet bandana against the side of her face.

"Ow!" she complained, closing her eye nearest the wound.

"If you don't take the heat out of it, it will hurt longer and bruise more," Hiei grumbled.

"I have healing powers, I could just heal it," Botan grumbled back.

Hiei slowly released his hold of her jaw, his eyes focusing onto hers.

"Then why don't you do that?" he asked her.

"Because I can't concentrate on it!" she replied. "Today has been an emotional rollercoaster for me! I'm angry, I'm sore and I'm scared!"

Hiei slowly took his bandana away from Botan's face, turning it around in his hand and then touching it to her skin again – though she noticed he was a little more careful when making contact.

"You shouldn't have got involved," he said.

She started to tell him again that he was her friend and that she had a duty as his friend to get involved, but she stopped abruptly when she heard him mutter something under his breath.

"Nobody else did."

Botan paused, something about the tone and flicker of bitterness in Hiei's eyes as he made the remark catching her attention.

"I heard everything you said to that imposter, and I heard everything he said back to you," Hiei said, his voice at conversational volume once more. "He probably won't let you anywhere near Yukina again, you do realise that, don't you? Your own rash stupidity has created this situation."

"It's not my fault I can't see Yukina any more," Botan replied.

"Yes, now you see that it's my fault–"

"It's Inukasai's fault! And Yusuke's fault! And Kurama's fault! And even Kuwabara! They should have been the ones telling that pretender to sling his hook! Why did it have to be me?"

"Why did it have to be you?"

"I don't know! And now I'm too scared to go back! He hit me really hard, Hiei!"

Hiei dropped his bandana, but Botan barely noticed as her eyes were blurring up with tears.

"He shouldn't have hit you like that," Hiei muttered.

Botan sniffled and tried to squint through her tears to see Hiei's face, but she could not make out the setting of his features to define his thoughts at that moment.

"I'm just glad you were there to hit him back for me!" she said. "I wasn't fast enough or strong enough to hurt him as badly as he hurt me!"

"I didn't hit him to avenge you, you simple-minded cretin!" Hiei snapped.

"Yes you did! You were sticking up for me because we're friends!"

"No, I was hitting him because he's a disgrace to demons for attacking someone as defenceless as you are! It was humiliating for me to watch, it was a wound to my pride!"

"Stop pretending to be tough, Hiei! You did it because you were defending me, as your friend, in the same way I took him out to the garden and tried to make him leave Yukina alone because I was defending your interests, as my friend."

When Hiei did not answer her, Botan thought that maybe he was just too proud to admit that she was right. She wiped her sleeves over her face, clearing away tears and the wetness from Hiei's bandana and then looked up at Hiei, finding him still standing in front of her, his face once more in that unusual expression.

"We have to fix this, Hiei," she told him. "Maybe everybody else has fallen for that mean boy's false charm, but I know what he really is. He's a dog in the manger, and we're going to flush him out. He's not going to carry on pretending to be Yukina's brother and nor are you going to be forced to tell Yukina the truth before you want to or are ready to."

"Hn, you almost sound like you have a plan," Hiei quietly replied, a hint of an ironic smirk on his face.

"I do have a plan Hiei," she replied, nodding her head. "I'm great at making plans."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Well believe it, mister! Now listen closely, here's what we're going to do: you are going to return to demon world and see what you can find out about this "Inukasai" fellow, and I am going to go to spirit world to see what I can find out about him."

"Spirit world?"

"Yes."

"You think you'll find answers in spirit world?"

"We have a lot of information on the ice village in spirit world. How else did you think Koenma knew about your relation to Yukina?"

Hiei's eyes widened into a rare look of surprise.

"We have a liaison officer who deals with the ice village," Botan continued. "We need to maintain a good relationship with the ice maidens because they provide us with hirui stones, which allow us to send undercover agents into demon world with currency to buy information from snitches and to buy back artefacts it would be too dangerous to take back by force."

It was not something Botan was supposed to discuss with anyone outside of spirit world, but Hiei was part of the former spirit detective team and she trusted him as her friend not to divulge the information – especially as it concerned his place of birth and his ancestors.

"If this Inukasai really was born in the ice village, we will have a record of it in spirit world," she continued. "I don't know how detailed that record will be, but we should at least be able to get a date of birth and possibly his real mother's name. Then we can offer the facts to him, and if he still insists on attaching himself to Yukina, I will show the facts to her."

Hiei twitched and Botan hurriedly corrected herself.

"The facts about his own life," she said. "Not Yukina's or yours. That's none of his business."

Hiei nodded.

"Alright then," Botan said, standing up. "Let's go. We'll meet back here later. How long do you think you'll need to find answers?"

Hiei looked a little lost, but after a short pause he answered her.

"Meet me back here at midnight."

Botan nodded and summoned her oar. When she saw that Hiei still looked a little lost she took a chance and did something she knew he hated: she touched him.

"Try not to worry, Hiei," she said. "We will fix this."

When he did not push her hand away as she had expected him to she gave his shoulder a slight squeeze and smiled at him.

"I promise you we will fix this, Hiei," she said.

She then lifted her hand from his shoulder and flew up into the sky, trying to ignore the fact that, without Hiei's bandana against it, the heat and sting of the red mark on one side of her face was returning.

* * *

Hiei remained where he was, watching the sky at the point the ferry girl had disappeared, staying that way until long after she had gone. Why was she the only person who understood exactly how he felt and sided with him absolutely on how the matter should be dealt with? It was highly illogical and deeply frustrating.

Mukuro ought to have sided with him. She ought to have known it was not him in those photos and in that video attacking the border patrol unit. She should have listened to him and believed him when he denied it. She should have considered what he had said about his own unit being witnesses to the truth of his alibi. She should have at least had the decency – had the respect for him – to call him to her office alone, rather than to humiliate him in front of his peers and then reduce her knowledge of him to something as simplistic as his height. If even that idiot ferry girl could spot the difference and identify Inukasai as an imposter, why did someone as intelligent and capable as Mukuro ever doubt Hiei's innocence?

Kurama was just as bad – or perhaps more so – for being someone who ought to have known Hiei long enough and well enough not to be fooled by a stranger telling stories. Kurama was supposed to be Hiei's ally and Kurama was one of the few who knew and understood Hiei's feelings for his sister and why he never wanted her to know who he was: so why then had Kurama not done more to help him get rid of that lying, smooth-talking bastard? Kurama was supposed to be the sensible one who always knew the best and right thing to do, but he had made an erroneous judgement in this situation; one that Hiei was struggling to fathom and growing to resent.

Yusuke was supposed to be the one Hiei could always count on to see common sense. Apart from Hiei himself, Yusuke had the least patience for fakers. Yusuke was the one who usually reserved judgement of someone new until he had tested them somehow – usually with his fists – and yet he did not seem to care what Inukasai was doing. Yusuke was not the sort to stand by and watch one of his friends be wronged, but he was certainly standing well back this time, and being far too flippant about the whole issue. The way he was behaving would only really make any sense if Inukasai was ruining the life of someone he barely knew; but Inukasai was ruining Hiei's life, and Hiei thought that Yusuke was his friend. He had expected the mazoku to, at the very least, tell Inukasai to leave and suggest to Yukina that she do a little investigating before just accepting him as her brother.

Even a pity whiff of scepticism from Kuwabara would have been welcome. Hiei did not especially care for Kuwabara, but – in some aspects at least – he did respect him, and as he was so close to Yukina, Hiei considered it Kuwabara's duty to protect her from people like Inukasai. But, instead of questioning what was happening and keeping Inukasai away from Yukina until he knew otherwise, that idiot Kuwabara had welcomed the liar into his home with open arms.

Even Kuwabara's sister or Yusuke's girlfriend questioning things would have been better.

But instead, Hiei's only ally was the ferry girl: easily his least favourite of everyone who had been in the house that night. Even Koenma himself was a better choice of ally. The ferry girl was scatter-brained, loud-mouthed and thoughtless: no-one else of her pitifully weak power ranking would have been stupid enough to take a shot at a demon of Inukasai's strength – which was easily A-class – and then been surprised when she did not manage to injure him. He could hardly even believe that she thought they were friends: when had either of them ever shared a moment that implied they were friends? She was just Yusuke's secretary from spirit world and Koenma's messenger.

However, she did sometimes prove useful in turning up information, and if what she had said about spirit world holding detailed records on the ice village was true, she would be the best person to access that information – since she would give him the answers without the interrogation that Koenma surely would before parting with it.

He did have slight reservations about her ability to communicate the information back to him though. He realised then that he probably ought to have asked her to just bring him the files in question, since she apparently was unable to remember and apply information correctly.

After all, she had called Inukasai a "dog in the manger" as though the phrase meant someone who was ruining something for someone else, and that was not the correct definition of that term.

A dog in the manger was a man who wanted a woman to love him, and although he would never return or validate her affections, neither would he let any other man have her.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Botan confides Hiei's problem in Koenma, and the reaction the prince has leaves her shocked – in more ways than one. Hiei overhears Inukasai sabotaging Yukina's feelings for both him and Botan and finally Botan has a very awkward run-in with the SDF. **Chapter 4 – Nature Versus Nurture**


	4. Nature vs Nurture

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews – it's funny to me that this fic is more popular than the last one I wrote, I guess I've been writing Hiei/Botan so long, it's the only thing I can do any more!

* * *

 **Chapter 4 – Nature vs Nurture**

Botan stood outside King Enma's temple for some time as she healed the side of her face. She had not seen it to know what the mark had looked like, but it had felt terrible. Yusuke had slapped her before when she had irritated him, but he had never used enough strength to leave her still feeling the sting and burn of the blow for so long afterwards. She supposed that Yusuke had been jokingly slapping her over the head whereas Inukasai had aggressively slapped her across the face; and the fact that he had slapped her across the face instead of just taking her oar or pushing her down was somehow even more insulting.

Of course, she knew why he had reacted as he had. The reason he had attacked her with so much force was the same reason he had looked so panicked when Hiei had come to her rescue: he knew he was lying to Yukina, he knew he was moving in on Hiei's territory, and he had not liked meeting someone who questioned him on it. He was a scheming snake, and Botan was going to make sure he got his comeuppance. Nobody messed Yukina about and interfered with Hiei's life like that and got away with it: not on Botan's watch.

Botan thought that Hiei had done a stellar job of pretending not to want her help, but she knew that was just because he was stubborn and proud. She knew that he only said they were not friends because he was trying to deter her from getting hurt any more than she already had been by getting more deeply involved. She knew that he had rushed to her rescue in Kuwabara's garden because they were friends and he could not let anyone hurt her. And she knew that, once they had dealt with Inukasai, Hiei would never thank her or act grateful or in any way pleased that she had assisted him with his dilemma, but that was just the way Hiei was: he would never outwardly express his emotions, but Botan would know that, deep down, he was pleased that she was doing what Yusuke and Kurama were apparently unable or unwilling to.

Once she had finished healing herself and taken a few calming deep breaths, Botan continued into the temple, quickly making her way to Koenma's office. She would need his approval to access the files she needed and she knew that, once she had explained the situation to him, he would surely come to aid her search, and he was so much quicker at finding files than she was.

"Good morning, Koenma!" she said cheerfully as she entered his office.

"Not now Botan, can't you see I'm busy?" Koenma grumbled.

Botan stopped, halfway across the office, wondering if she was missing something. Koenma did not look especially busy, after all, as he was standing on his desk and glaring at George, and both were tugging at a plate of sweet rice cakes.

"Sir, this is important," she tried.

"So is this!" Koenma said, without taking his eyes off the ogre. "I said you could have one, not one plateful!"

"You said I could have what was on your desk, Lord Koenma!" George argued. "This plate was on your desk, it's not fair to change the rules now!"

"Koenma, this is very important!" Botan insisted.

"I know it is!" Koenma said, his eyes still locked on George. "There are four cakes on this plate: what sort of fool does this blue idiot think I am that I would promise him four cakes?"

"Koenma Sir, something terrible has happened and I need your advice and help immediately!" Botan said, striding up to Koenma's desk.

Koenma turned his head to look at her, and in his moment of distraction, George tugged the plate. Koenma yelped and held on, but his response came a little too late, and the plate ended up flinging across the room, spilling the cakes on the floor.

"Well I don't want them now," Koenma said.

Both Koenma and Botan cringed when George threw himself onto the floor and began gathering up the cakes, happily munching them down.

"What were you saying, Botan?" Koenma asked.

"Sir, it's about Hiei," Botan replied, turning to face him fully.

"Hiei?" Koenma echoed. "Hmm, I didn't think we'd hear anything about him now that he's gone back to demon world."

"It's not just about Hiei, Sir," Botan continued. "It's also about a mean, sneaky, evil demon called Inukasai!"

"Inukasai? Sounds like he's from the dog demon tribe."

"He is. And he's really mean."

"Get to the point Botan, I don't have all day: I need to get to the kitchen to order four more rice cakes to replace the ones you and the ogre just ruined."

"Right, well, Inukasai attacked the border patrol in demon world and he has arrived in the living world."

"Ah, I see. Hiei is going to apprehend him and return him to demon world, as is his duty as part of the border patrol guard. Why are you bothering me with this? Hiei is very capable: he'll apprehend that dog demon and get him back to demon world in no time."

"Sir, Inukasai isn't a dog demon."

"But you just said–"

"He's an emiko, just like Hiei."

"What? Why didn't you say so right at the start?"

"I was trying to tell you Sir, but you were too busy fighting George for those cakes!"

Koenma sighed and hopped back into his seat behind his desk.

"Alright Botan, you have my undivided attention," he said. "Now tell me what's going on immediately!"

"An emiko by the name of Inukasai fought off the border patrol and crossed over in the living world last night," Botan replied. "He went to see Yukina, and he's claming to be her brother!"

"Interesting…"

Botan hesitated, momentarily thrown off of her train of thought by Koenma's unexpected unenthusiastic response.

"Right," she said as she tried to regain her composure. "Well, this fellow, this emiko, Inukasai, spent the night at the Kuwabara family house last night, and when I was visiting this morning he was still there, and he has managed to convince Yukina, Kuwabara and Keiko that he actually is Yukina's missing brother."

"Interesting…"

Botan twitched and squeezed her hands together beneath her sleeves, but again she fought back the urge to snap at Koenma for his continuing calm demeanour.

"Shizuru was there too, Sir," she said, her voice sounding tenser to even her own ears. "And even though she knows that Hiei is Yukina's long lost brother, she has accepted Inukasai into the household. Yusuke and Kurama were also there, and neither of them really seem to care about the absolute outrage of it all! It's a travesty of justice! It's the worst possible thing Koenma Sir, and I cannot stand idly by and allow it to continue! I need access to the files on the ice village Sir, and I need it right now!"

Koenma waved a hand at Botan in a way that, in her wound up state, she found to be patronising.

"Botan, try to stay focused her," he said. "I have some questions about this "Inukasai" before we can act. First of all, are we sure that he is an emiko from the ice village?"

"Yes Sir," Botan replied. "He even looks almost identical to Hiei."

"Very interesting…" Koenma said.

"Sir, stop saying that!" Botan snapped. "This isn't "interesting", it's devastating!"

"Botan, control yourself!" Koenam snapped back. "So where has this Inukasai been? What happened to him after he was born? Was he born in the ice village? Was he cast out, just like Hiei?"

"He was born in the ice village, he was cast out, and when he fell, his father caught him, and brought him back to–"

"His father?"

"Yes Sir. His father is the leader of the dog demon tribe, hence why he was named Inukasai–"

"So his father cared about him?"

"Yes. His father raised him with the other dog demons, but he always told him that his mother was an ice maiden."

"Very, very interesting."

"Sir!"

"What sort of personality does Inukasai have?"

"A sly, corrupt, conniving, back-stabbing, cheating, evil, manipulative, vicious, cruel, horrid, sneaky–"

"Botan!"

Botan staggered back a step as Koenma leapt up onto his desk again, leaning towards her to glare at her angrily.

"Focus, Botan," he said sternly. "This is very, very important: what sort of personality does Inukasai actually have?"

Botan pouted and slumped her shoulders.

"I see," Koenma said almost instantly upon witnessing her reaction. "So he has a very congenial personality."

"Were you even listening to a single word I said?" Botan growled.

"Yes, yes, he's rubbed you up the wrong way for one reason or another, but otherwise he is the perfect gentleman–"

"Sir, the nasty, skinny jerkface is lying to Yukina! Just think how that poor girl is going to fare: first she feels the elation of finding her brother, then she feels the misery of realising what a nasty piece of work he is, then she finds out that he's a fake and she goes through the pain of losing her brother and being no closer to finding her real brother! And what about Hiei? Poor Hiei is having to bear witness to all this, and nobody is helping him because they all think Inukasai is such a nice guy, and Yukina and Kuwabara like him so well – maybe Kuwabara should just marry Inukasai, since he likes him so much – it's ridiculous, it doesn't even make any sense, surely someone can see how ludicrous this all is–"

"Botan!"

Botan stopped abruptly as she heard Koenma's voice echoing her name off the walls around her. She had never heard Koenma shout loud enough to create an echo before, and that was really quite surprising, as Koenma often shouted, especially with George as his assistant.

"Botan, what you're describing to me isn't something that requires access to the spirit world files on the ice village to solve it," Koenma recovered.

"I need to find out who Inukasai's real mother is so that I can tell him and he'll leave us all alone!" Botan quickly said.

Koenma shook his head.

"We don't have that information in our files," he said. "The birth of an emiko into the glacial village is a great source of shame for the ice maidens, and it's not something they discuss with outsiders."

"But they must!" Botan insisted. "You said you knew Hiei was from the ice village and related to Yukina because our liaison officer for the ice village told you as much!"

"That's true, but that was an exceptional case: our liaison officer was aware of Hiei's return to the ice village, and as we already had information on Hiei in spirit world as a known criminal, the information was added to Hiei's file."

"But you said you knew he was Yukina's brother!"

"Yes, our officer spoke to the ice maidens about his visit, and they did reveal to our agent that Hiei's mother was an ice maiden named Hina – who had sadly passed away – and that he had a twin sister named Yukina."

"Then there's the proof! Where is our liaison officer? I need her to come to the living world with me and tell Inukasai what a faker he is!"

"That's not going to happen, Botan."

"Well then you must do it! Or else give me some written evidence and I will do it!"

"That's not going to happen either, Botan."

Botan paused, realising then that Koenma's tone had changed since she had asked to show Inukasai the proof that he was not Yukina's brother.

"You cannot, under any circumstances, deter Inukasai from his current venture," Koenma said, his tone still set at that pitch that Botan found so displeasing and unsettling. "Do you understand me, Botan?"

"Sir…" Botan said weakly. "Are you… Are you suggesting that we let Yukina think that this impostor actually is her brother?"

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting," Koenma flatly replied, much to her horror. "Did you say the others are not deterring him?"

Botan slowly shook her head.

"Perfect," Koenma said, nodding his head and returning to his seat.

"But Sir…" Botan whispered. "What about Hiei?"

"Botan, are you familiar with the two colour system?"

Botan's face dropped.

"I… I don't understand," she said. "What does that have to do with what I've just told you? Hiei is in the middle of a crisis and–"

"And Hiei's crisis has created laboratory-perfect conditions to carry out the ultimate social experiment to test the true merit of the two colour system."

Botan shook her head.

"A soul, Botan, is born one of two colours," Koenma continued. "Souls are either red – fundamentally evil – or blue – fundamentally good. What shade of red or blue a soul is can change in a lifetime, but a red soul never becomes a blue soul, and vice versa. Or at least, that's what we think. When you told me about Inukasai, the first thing that occurred to me was that he was born an emiko, and therefore he was born with a red soul: but, if he is the person you describe, he has possibly turned his soul blue. I want to know if that's possible. And the only way to find that out, is to see what happens if we keep him around."

"Sir, that's immoral," Botan said. "You can't just toy with people's lives for the sake of an experiment like that! If you are so interested in the colour of Inukasai's soul, why don't you go cut him open and find out what colour it is for yourself? You don't have to ruin Hiei's life to get your answers!"

"There is also the question as to what colour Hiei's soul is."

Botan tried to answer Koenma, but both words and her voice failed her.

"And the question of what colour it will be after this ordeal."

Botan's jaw dropped open.

"Botan, do you remember how, after I fired Yusuke as spirit detective, after the border patrol was implemented in demon world, and there was just generally no need for you to conduct any work outside of your duties as a ferry girl, and you came to me and asked if you could be promoted to another position with spirit world?"

Botan gave a very slight nod of her head: which was the most she could manage as she was still struck by disbelief at the direction Koenma had taken the conversation.

"How would you like to put to use all those skills you learned whilst working as assistant to the spirit detective?" Koenma continued. "How would you like to become an actual detective for spirit world?"

"Are you asking me to be the new spirit detective?" Botan asked, confusion momentarily overtaking shock and allowing her to speak.

"No," Koenam replied. "This is more of a researcher role than a hands-on, crime fighting role."

"…I don't understand…"

"Botan, I want you to follow Hiei."

"Why?"

"Because I want to know everything he does now that this has happened. I will keep watch over Inukasai and Yukina myself, but I want you to follow Hiei and study how he processes all of this. Note down everything, Botan, and I mean everything: I want to know when he sleeps – if he sleeps – I want to know what he eats, what he drinks, where he goes, who he sees and any outbursts of emotion or unusual behaviour or actions are especially important to take note of. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I do understand. You're asking me to spy on my friend. You're asking me to allow his hurt to perpetuate so that you can exploit it for the sake of adding another tab to our files."

"Don't take this so personally, Botan. This isn't something you or I have inflicted upon Hiei, this is something he has inflicted upon himself."

"What? How can you say that?"

"Because it's the truth. Hiei didn't tell Yukina the truth, and now this has happened. And what has happened is an ideal opportunity for us to investigate. So, Botan, I'd like you to report to Captain Ootake immediately, tell him I sent you, and tell him you need fitted out."

Botan's eyes doubled in size.

"F-fitted out, Sir?" she said. "Y-your asking to j-join the Special Defence Force?"

Koenma sighed as though she had just said something ridiculous.

"Go to Captain Ootake, tell him you have been assigned a mission by me that may involve work in demon world," he explained. "The SDF know better than anyone how to stay undercover in demon world, they will arrange clothing, money and information for you, should you need to go to demon world to keep track of Hiei."

Botan screwed up her face.

"What now, Botan?" Koenma growled, his patience clearly waning.

"The SDF go to demon world in the most conspicuous outfits imaginable, Sir," she replied. "I'd be better hidden in my pink kimono than one of those ugly uniforms they wear."

"The SDF don't just go to demon world in their uniforms," Koenma replied. "Sometimes they go undercover, like our liaison officer to the glacial village does. They are very familiar with the main entrances to demon world, they understand the local customs, dialects, fashions and code of conduct. Go there, get yourself some clothes, some money, some information and then find Hiei. What day is it today?"

"It's Friday, Sir."

"Alright then, I want you to report back to me every Friday. Return here, write up a summary of what you have learned and present it to me. I will do the same for Inukasai, and we can compare notes and see what develops."

"We can compare notes and see what develops?"

"Yes. We can monitor and see if Inukasai has indeed managed to change the actual colour of his soul and whether or not this crisis for Hiei causes the hue of his soul to change any."

"We can monitor whether or not this crisis for Hiei causes the hue of his soul to change any?"

"Yes, that is the point of this experiment."

"The point of this experiment."

"Why are you repeating everything I'm saying?"

"I just want to be sure that I've understood you, Sir."

"Alright… Botan, if you're not ready to handle this sort of role, I can easily arrange for someone else to–"

"No Sir. It's fine. I can do this."

Koenma gave Botan a hard, sceptical look and she tried her hardest not to be affected by it: she knew he was suspicious of her sudden compliance and she knew that he could probably see right through her, but she was determined not to let her true feelings show in the off-chance that she could convince him otherwise. After all, there was nothing he could possibly say or do that would convince her that spying on Hiei was the right thing to do.

"I'm counting on you, Botan," he said. "If you can do this, there might be a future for you in the council."

Botan's mind went blank.

"The council, Sir?" she said faintly.

"Yes, the council, Botan," Koenma replied.

"I could be a member of the council?"

"Yes."

"I could wear those fancy robes and sit at that big table with you and your father and Captain Ootake and all the other important people of spirit world and make decisions?"

"Yes."

"…That's a big deal."

"Yes it is."

Botan nodded.

"I'll see you next Friday then?"

Botan smiled and bowed her head, before hurriedly leaving Koenma's office. As she shuffled down the corridor beyond towards the quarters kept by the Special Defence Force officers, Botan pondered what part of her conversation with Koenma had been more shocking and more difficult to process: that he wanted to perpetuate Hiei's pain, that he expected her to spy on Hiei or that he was considering her for membership in the spirit world council: a position every spirit in spirit world – including Botan – secretly coveted.

* * *

"Aw, do you really gotta go?" Kuwabara said.

"I'm afraid I must, Mister Kuwabara," Inukasai replied. "And I cannot but thank you for your kind hospitality."

"Hey man, it's no problem," Kuwabara replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. "You're welcome to come back here any time. We're practically family, right?"

Inukasai smiled.

"I cannot tell you how much it warms my heart to see that my sister has such kind friends and such a devoted man as yourself in her life, Mister Kuwabara," he said.

"Oh yeah, Yukina is my number one priority," Kuwabara replied.

"I can vouch for that," Shizuru said dryly. "He's got another exam on Monday morning and he still hasn't learned all the formulae he's meant to know for it, but instead of studying, he's standing here kissing your ass just because your Yukina's brother."

"Oh please, Miss Kuwabara, don't direct your ire at your brother," Inukasai said to her. "I am to blame for distracting him so. I'm not sure when I'll be able to return here again, but I promise it shall not be before Mister Kuwabara has finished his exams."

"No, I'd rather you came back as soon as you can," Shizuru replied. "Next time you come, you can spend some time with Yukina and then my baby bro doesn't have any excuse for skipping out on his studying, because his biggest distraction isn't around."

"Shizuru!" Kuwabara moaned. "You're making me sound like one of those loser guys who skips out on his responsibilities to go chasing after girls!"

"Change the "girls" to "a girl", and that's pretty much what you are, Kazuma," Shizuru flatly answered him.

"We should go," Yukina said to Inukasai.

She looped her arm through his and guided him towards the door. As they stepped out onto the porch they stopped to look back at Kuwabara and Shizuru, who had dissolved into a full-blown argument with each other.

"They can go all night sometimes," Yukina said, smiling up at her brother.

"They are both very spirited," Inukasai replied.

"Maybe if we had grown up together, we would have argued like that sometimes," Yukina said as they continued on their way.

"I can't imagine that, Yukina," Inukasai replied. "You are such a sweet girl, I could never find a reason to disagree with you. And I am a very affable person – I always have been – so I'm sure you would never have found cause to lose your temper or raise your voice so to me."

"Smarmy prick!"

Hiei crept to the edge of the roof of the Kuwabara's house, peering over the guttering as his sister walked down the street, arm in arm with the biggest creep he had ever had the misfortune to cross paths with. As he watched them go, Hiei silently wished that Inukasai had attacked the patrol unit he had been in charge of: because, unlike the leader of the unit Inukasai attacked, Hiei would not have hesitated to kill him.

"I'm so glad that you like all my friends, brother," Yukina said.

"How could I not?" Inukasai replied. "Not only are they all wonderful people, but it is clear that they all care about you and your interests: of course I would like such people."

"I hope I can come to demon world and meet your friends too," Yukina said. "I'd really like to meet your father."

"I know my father would love to meet you, Yukina. He adored our mother, and, if what Miss Rui told me is correct, you look exactly like our mother, and so seeing your face truly would be a gift for my father. You would be very welcomed in Inugoya. Our tribe are generally welcoming, but we are especially welcoming of friends and family."

"It sounds lovely. Could I bring Kazuma with me too?"

"I would like that very much."

"Lying bastard, nobody likes Kuwabara joining in!"

Hiei jumped onto the roof of the house next to Kuwabara's, moving closer to the direction Yukina and Inukasai were heading without moving close enough to be seen. He was using his jagan eye to distort his energy signal to avoid Inukasai detecting his presence, but as there was still a risk that he would be seen by either his sister or the faker, he had to stay out of sight as he followed them.

"It's not far to the nearest portal," Yukina said.

"You never return to demon world yourself, Yukina?" Inukasai asked.

"No, I haven't returned there for some time now," Yukina replied. "I'm not really welcome in the glacial village any more. The elders didn't approve of me leaving to search for you."

"Not to worry, they didn't approve of my return visit and nor am I welcome back there! But I have to wonder, if you never visit demon world yourself, how is it that you know where the portals to demon world are located?"

"Mister Hiei showed me where they are."

"Mister Hiei?"

"Oh, I know Mister Hiei maybe seemed a little rude today, but he's not normally that way. I know you'll get to like him once you get to know him. He's a very strong fighter and he's very honourable."

"I see. Who exactly is Mister Hiei, anyway?"

"He's another friend. He's a master of the jagan eye."

"He's a jaganshi? That's an unusual trait for an emiko."

"Bastard, she didn't tell you I'm an emiko! You just admitted that you're sneaking around knowing more than you let on!"

Hiei leapt to another rooftop, craning his neck to watch as Yukina and Inukasai turned a corner in the street. Surely now, he thought to himself, that the sly cheater had just slipped up, Yukina would notice his mistake and at the very least call him on it.

"Mister Hiei had his jagan eye surgically implanted," she said instead.

"How barbaric," Inukasai replied. "I can't imagine anyone wanting to do something so desperate."

Hiei gripped his hands into the roof tiles at either side of his feet, only realising his mistake when they imploded into piles of dust under the force of his grip. Vaguely aware that what he had done was a bad thing and might draw attention to his location, he leapt down to the ground, landing on the street about ten yards behind his sister and the phony. He quickly concealed himself behind a postbox, baring his teeth and calling Inukasai every insulting name he could think of inside his head.

"As an emiko myself, I can't imagine why one of my kind would need or even want to acquire such a power," Inukasai continued. "He must have been an exceptionally weak emiko to have required the upgrade."

"I don't know about that," Yukina replied, still apparently blissfully unaware that Inukasai kept referencing the fact that Hiei had been born of the ice village too. "I don't know very much about Mister Hiei's past. I don't think anyone does."

"You can tell a lot about someone from their past," Inukasai said.

"I disagree. My past was living in ignorance in the ice village. I wouldn't want someone to think I was the same as those who have never left the ice village. I believe we evolve with time, as part of the decisions we make and the trials we endure."

"Still, you should be cautious. Some people never truly break away from what they started out as. For example, that ferry girl who visited you today."

"Botan?"

"Yes. Do you know her well?"

"Yes. She's one of my best friends."

"It concerns me that you would say that."

"Why?"

"To start with, you should know that agents of spirit world will never truly trust a demon. She may well have a hidden agenda for wanting to get so close to you."

"But Botan can't keep a secret. Koenma would never trust her to carry out a secret mission like spying on a demon, because she would give herself away eventually."

"So she can't be trusted?"

"Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that. Botan's honesty is one of her best qualities."

"She's very highly strung, don't you think?"

"I think she's very kind and friendly."

"I think she has a short temper, she's thoughtless and, if you say she can't keep a secret, she's really not very trustworthy. I myself wouldn't take such a person as a friend."

"I would take her as a friend before I'd even spit on you, you sly bastard. That ferry girl might be tempestuous, stupid and overly chatty, but she's worth a hundred of you!"

Hiei dropped into a row of bushes at the edge of the park Yukina and Inukasai had walked into. The portal to demon world was beyond the park, over the middle of an adjoining farm field. They would be there in a matter of minutes, which was a relief to Hiei, as he was growing tired of listening to Inukasai's pitch-perfect voice talking such nonsense. He sounded like one of the demons who worked in the pawn shops Hiei had frequented in his days as a bandit: always making it sound like he was giving a fair deal, but all the while subtly turning the situation to his own advantage. Hiei had been ripped off by more pawn shop owners than he cared to remember, and he began to wonder if any of those he had been particularly badly screwed over by had been dog demons.

"Botan is my friend," Yukina said.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Inukasai replied.

"You didn't like her?" Yukina asked.

"Not at all, no."

"Oh dear. I don't understand why. Botan is always so friendly with everyone she meets. She's a ferry girl, it's in her nature to try to make amends with any soul she encounters."

"Yukina, my dear sister, your so-called friend Botan didn't take me out to the garden to show me the plants, as she said she had."

"She didn't?"

"No. She took me out there to threaten me. She tried to attack me, she tried to force me to leave. She tried to tell me I shouldn't come back to see you again. If she really was your friend Yukina, why would she push away the brother she knows you have longed to find for so long?"

"I don't understand… Botan's always been supportive of me finding my brother…"

"I suspect she was sent by spirit world to chase me off. You really shouldn't trust that woman. I know you are a sweet and trusting girl Yukina, but some people are not worthy of your grace: and that ferry girl Botan is one such person. In fact, as your brother, I would advise you to distance yourself from her."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"So was it Botan that punched you in the face and left you unconscious in the garden?"

"No, she called for Mister Hiei to attack me. They appear to be working together, conspiring against us."

"Mister Hiei attacked you?"

"Yes. Botan was whacking me with her oar – what could I do, she is a woman, and a weak one at that, not to mention that she is an agent of spirit world, I could hardly hit her back – and as I was trying to hold off her blows, Mister Hiei snuck up and sucker-punched me. I didn't see the attack coming and hadn't prepared myself for it: if I had protected myself with my demon energy, I would have hurt Botan, as her oar would have rebounded off of my body. I don't understand why they would ambush me so, sister. I've never encountered such hostile beings in all my life."

"Lying snake!"

Hiei slipped behind the trunk of a large tree, peering around it at Yukina and Inukasai, who had reached the fence that separated the park from the field.

"Please sister, be cautious around those two," Inukasai said, taking Yukina's hand in both of his. "I wouldn't want any harm to befall you."

"I don't understand," Yukina replied. "Mister Hiei has always been very helpful to me and Botan has always been so kind to me."

"You can't see their true natures because you are the sort of sweet girl who only sees the best in people," Inukasai replied. "They have cruelly deceived you with a façade of lies."

"Look who's talking…" Hiei grumbled under his breath.

"I must go," Inukasai continued. "I will figure out a way to return to you soon though. In the mean time, if you are able to come to demon world at all then please do. You would be very welcome in Inugoya."

"Okay," Yukina replied. "Take care, brother."

Inukasai smiled in a way that literally made Hiei's stomach swirl as though he might wretch at any moment, and then he pulled Yukina into a dramatic embrace. She returned his gesture a little awkwardly, but as Hiei could only see the back of her head from the angle he was watching them from, he could not be sure how awkward she actually felt without using his jagan eye – which he decided against doing. Inukasai shortly released Yukina and waved a hand in a manner that made Hiei want to wretch again, before leaping over the fence and darting through the portal with speed and agility that only Hiei's eyes had been able to follow.

Yukina stood for several seconds longer, watching the faint, liquefied area that marked the portal, as though she still expected to see Inukasai. Eventually she appeared to accept that he was gone and she turned around and started back the way. Hiei followed her back – it was late, it was dark, and she was alone, after all – until she reached the street Kuwabara lived on, whereupon Kuwabara himself appeared, making excuses about his sister and apologising for not walking with Yukina to the portal. As Yukina began dismissing his concerns, Hiei turned and fled in the opposite direction: he knew that his sister was safe, and by the position of the stars and the moon in the sky, he also knew that he was late for his meeting with the ferry girl.

* * *

"What the devil is a cagoule?"

"Something that you'll need in demon world."

Botan frowned and nodded, watching intently as Captain Ootake rifled through a box of clothing before eventually producing something and holding it up in front of her.

"That's just a raincoat, Sir," she pointed out.

"It's a cagoule," he corrected her. "And in demon world, the temperature is typically quite high, even during rainstorms, so this sort of raincoat is invaluable."

"So it is a raincoat then…"

Botan accepted the coat from him, folding it up and stuffing it into the kitbag she had already almost filled with clothing.

"I think we've covered all possibilities," Ootake said then, much to her relief. "Now that you have everything you need, I should go over the basics with you."

"Right," Botan said with a nod of her head.

"Don't cover up your face or dress too extravagantly," he said. "You will make yourself conspicuous if you overdo your outfits. Remember that less is more."

"Will do."

"What did I just say?"

"Less is more?"

"Remember that."

"Okay…"

Botan and the Special Defence Force leader exchanged sceptical looks.

"Don't throw money around, and never pay someone the price they ask for something," the captain continued.

"Isn't that stealing or just plain bad form?" Botan asked.

"It's called "bartering" and it's how business is conducted in demon world," Ootake replied.

"Okay."

"You will be recognised as an outsider, and everyone you meet will try to overcharge you for anything they sell you. You must always argue the price down. Ideally start by offering half of what they have told you the price is. Even if you are in a market and the prices are written up on a board or a price tag, always start by offering at least half of the price. They will argue back and forth with you until you can both agree a price: never pay the full stated price, and ideally never pay more than three-quarters of the stated price."

"Right."

"What did I just say?"

"Argue the price. Offer half, negotiate, never pay full price."

"Okay. Next up, don't drink anything unless you know what it is, and don't ever drink anything alcoholic: demon world liquor is infinitely stronger than that found in the living world."

"Don't get drunk. Can do."

"Don't smoke anything, either."

"I don't smoke."

"Don't start."

"Right."

"Before you eat anything, use the test strips I gave you to check for toxins, poisons and inedible materials. If anything tests positive, don't eat it. Don't even touch it if you can avoid doing so."

"Understood."

"Don't share drinking containers or utensils with anyone. Always wash your hands thoroughly before eating and especially so after using the bathroom."

"Certainly."

"Don't copulate with any demons."

Botan paused, only awakening from her moment of shock as she started to feel her face grow hot.

"I-I beg your pardon?" she said quietly.

"Don't have sex with anyone," Ryuhi said.

Botan glanced over at the young female Special Defence Force officer, who was standing combing her curly yellow hair in front of a locker room mirror. When Botan turned back to Ootake, she found him watching her almost expectantly.

"Don't have sex with anyone Botan," he said firmly. "Do you understand?"

"What sort of girl do you take me for?" she snapped, her face growing uncomfortably hot.

"The sort of girl who'd be anybody's after one can of demon world beer and nobody's after two cans of demon world beer."

"Thank you, Ryuhi!" Botan yelled.

Ryuhi shrugged before stowing her comb in her bag and then lifting the bag over her shoulder. Botan watched her leave before turning back to the Special Defence Force captain.

"I'm only going to demon world to monitor Hiei," she said. "How would I even have the chance to… Get involved with anyone like that?"

"I saw the way you behaved at Koenma's last birthday party," Ootake flatly replied.

"I had no idea the punch was alcoholic!" Botan cried defensively. "I would never have had seven glasses of it had I known!"

"The punch was made of strawberry juice and lemonade."

Botan twitched, her shoulders squared, her arms stiff and straight at her sides, her hands balled into fists and her entire body quivering.

"Don't go to any parties or festivities of any kind," Ootake suggested. "If you absolutely have to go to some sort of celebratory event, stay sober, stay calm and don't flirt with anyone."

"I wasn't flirting!" Botan wailed.

"You draped yourself over one of the boys who tends the crop fields and spent the first part of the night asking him which part of your body he found most alluring. Then, when he eventually managed to escape from you, you crawled under a table and cried and complained that nobody loved you."

"I was drunk!"

"There was no alcohol at the party."

"I was caught up in the party mood!"

"Don't let it happen in demon world."

"I won't!"

"Alright then."

"Alright then!"

"Good luck."

"Thank you!"

"If you need anything, or if you get in any danger, call me."

Botan hoisted her bag over her shoulder, gave Captain Ootake one last glare and then spun on her heels and stomped off, starting for the portal to the living world. A glance at the clock told her she was running late for her meeting with Hiei, but she was sure that he would be sympathetic when she told him what she had just had to endure; though she would miss out the part about how she had behaved at Koenma's birthday party.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** After Botan informs Hiei that she couldn't dig up on dirt on Inukasai in spirit world, she convinces Hiei to go to the village of the dog demons and to take her with him. There are pretty flowers, butterflies and a cosy cave, and through it all Hiei and Botan talk about the thing Hiei thinks of when he thinks of Botan. **Chapter 5 – Romantic Obsession**


	5. Romantic Obsession

**Chapter 5 – Romantic Obsession**

Hiei paced back and forth angrily, ignoring the fact that he had walked a furrow into the sand by the river's edge. By his estimations, the ferry girl was at least an hour late, and he was furious. After hearing Inukasai out him as an emiko to Yukina, he needed immediate closure on the matter, and the only way to get that was to get the information the ferry girl had promised to deliver and present it to Yukina, proving that Inukasai was not her brother. He started to curse himself for trusting the idiot ferry girl to arrive on time. He himself had arrived around fifty minutes late, and he had expected to find her there waiting for him: and so the last ten minutes of waiting for her had been torture.

Hiei stopped short, his anger momentarily surpassed by bemusement as he noticed a woman dressed as a wood elf walking towards him with a large bag on her back in place of a quiver of arrows. She was walking towards him with a sense of purpose, though her stride was a little perky for that of a stealth warrior. As she drew nearer, Hiei realised that he was in fact looking at the ferry girl, and he remembered then that she always had possessed a penchant for expressing herself through inappropriate fashion choices. He had witnessed her donning all manners of weird ensembles and claiming that she was dressing for the occasion, but, just as he had never understood any of her previous wardrobe choices, he failed to understand why she thought that delivering him information from spirit world required her to dress in a thin, suede leather, light brown sleeveless tunic with matching, pointy-toed ankle boots and the most figure-hugging and slightly revealing pair of cream coloured tights he had ever seen on any creature from any of the three worlds.

"Where the hell have you been?" he demanded as she leapt down the embankment to join him.

"I have some bad news, I'm afraid," she replied.

"Wrong answer," he warned her.

"There isn't any information on boys born into the ice village in the spirit world files," she continued, seemingly oblivious to his ire. "So I couldn't confirm who Inukasai's mother was or when he was born. But I do have a plan for what we should do next."

Hiei growled and bared his teeth at her, but still she remained unperturbed. Without the information she had promised to deliver to him, he thought it was quite obvious what should be done next: he would have to return to demon world, gather the strongest border patrol guard officers he could find, and then he would storm the village of the dog demons, slaying a few of the residents to send a message, and taking Inukasai back to Mukuro to prove his own innocence to her.

"Let's go to the village of the dog demons."

"What?"

Hiei's sneer vanished. The ferry girl appeared to be serious.

"Let's go to the village of the dog demons, the place Inukasai came from," she said. "Do you know how to find it?"

"There's no reason for you to go there," Hiei answered cagily.

"We need to go there to get the dirt on Inukasai," the ferry girl replied, smacking the side of one fist into her open palm. "We'll be able to find out how old he is – because his father has raised him since his birth – and we may even be able to convince his father to tell us the real identity of his mother. Then we can tell Yukina that Inukasai's mother is not Hina."

"I'm not taking you to Inugoya with me, woman," Hiei growled. "That's an absurd idea. I'd rather cut off my own–"

"And once we know exactly how old he is, we'll be able to prove he isn't Yukina's brother because he's far too old to be her brother."

"…Wait, what?"

"Inukasai is clearly too old to be Yukina's twin. He must be at least thirty years older than you, Hiei."

Hiei blinked owlishly.

"What the…" he began, trying to ignore how bizarre it was that Yusuke and even Kurama did not think he looked as young as Yukina or any younger than Inukasai, but the ferry girl did without hesitation. "How do you… What… I thought you said that you had no information on Inukasai?"

"I don't," she replied.

"Then what makes you think he's thirty years older than I am?"

"Well, his facial structure suggests that he is older than you. The proportion of his facial features indicate that he's older. I would guess he is probably in his mid-seventies, whereas I would say you must be in your mid-forties."

Hiei swallowed hard.

"You seem to know an awful lot about guessing a demon's age," he commented.

"Am I right?" she asked, looking quite innocent.

"You're close," he replied.

"How close?"

She was grinning as though they were discussing something as trivial as how close she had come to picking the correct numbers for the demon world lottery.

"Too close," he replied.

"You're in your mid-forties?" she pressed. "I was right?"

"Not quite," he replied.

"Oh dear, how wrong was I?"

Hiei bit back his initial response – which had been to tell her the truth, to tell her that she had flattered his ego by guessing that he was slightly younger than he actually was, something that had actually been quite welcome after the others scoffing at how much older than Yukina and Inukasai they both thought he looked – and instead he gave her a less emotional reply.

"Not very."

"So I was absolutely right then. You're forty-five exactly?"

Hiei paused long enough to realise that the look on the ferry girl's face suggested that she would not let the matter drop until she had a definite answer, and so he reluctantly conceded to give her one.

"No. Fifty-three."

"I was so close!"

"Indeed. But you still can't come to Inugoya with me."

"But I have a plan! I want to help you, Hiei!"

"Yes, and you've done a fine job so far: you promised me a file from spirit world, and you've come back empty-handed."

"There was no information in the files, Hiei. But if we go to Inugoya, we can find out the truth there."

"I can't take you with me."

Hiei frowned, silently wondering why he had chosen those specific, slightly ambiguous, words to reject the ferry girl. After a brief pause to consider the matter, he tried again.

"I'm not taking you with me, that's a ridiculous idea," he corrected himself.

"Well I'm coming with you and that's that," she replied, folding her arms and turning her nose up in the air as though daring him to argue with her further.

"You'll slow me down and this isn't your problem to fix," he pointed out.

"I'm fast on my oar and it is my duty as your friend to help you fix this," she stubbornly replied. "And I owe you for avenging Inukasai for me after he brutally attacked me."

"He slapped you. That was hardly a brutal attack."

"It hurt brutally. And you rushed to my aid without hesitation, like a true friend, and now I am doing the same for you."

"That's not… I didn't… You're insufferable and impossible!"

"I like you too, Hiei."

Hiei growled and bared his teeth again but again the ferry girl remained unfazed.

"I have some supplies in my bag," she continued, pointing at the enormous, heavily-packed bag on her back. "I'm ready to go right now."

"I need to sleep before I go to the village!" Hiei said, barely noticing how ridiculous his answer sounded when said out loud.

"Oh, alright," the ferry girl casually replied. "Should we sleep here or is there somewhere in demon world we could sleep together?"

She was the most persistent pest Hiei had ever encountered; which was really quite a feat, as he had encountered many pests in his lifetime, and some of them really quite persistent. But, as her face started to turn red and her eyes grew larger, he forgot all about how annoying she was and began to wonder what was wrong with her.

"Not that we will be sleeping together, per se," she said hurriedly. "Because I'm not allowed to do that. Captain Ootake was very specific that I shouldn't do that. Not even with you, Hiei."

"…What?" Hiei grunted.

"I just meant that we should find a location where we can both get some rest," she prattled on. "Somewhere where we can sleep, in the same approximate vicinity as each other, for the sake of convenience, not that we should share a bed and sleep together, as it were."

The realisation dawned on Hiei then that she had in fact said the words "we could sleep together", and he briefly allowed himself to linger on how offensive he found her awkwardness and how desperate she was to correct herself lest he take her offer seriously. As the colour started to fade from her face and she started to avoid making eye contact with him, he recovered and refocused his attention on the matter at hand.

"You can't come to Inugoya – or even just to demon world – with me," he said. "I don't need Koenma complaining that I stole away one of his servants."

"Koenma won't mind me coming with you," she replied.

Hiei made to tell her that she had possibly just set a new record for saying ridiculous things, but he stopped as he remembered all the things Inukasai had been saying about the ferry girl. As much as it pained Hiei to admit that the manipulative liar was right about anything, he had at least been right about one thing: Botan was a loud-mouth who could not be trusted to keep a secret. That she would even say the words "Koenma won't mind" clearly showed that she would go and discuss the matter with Koenma if Hiei gave her even half the chance to. In fact, he thought, if he refused her again, she would probably just go straight back to spirit world and ask Koenma if she could go to demon world with him, so that she could try using the argument that Koenma had granted her permission to join his mission.

As time was a key factor – since Yukina was expecting him to return her hirui stone to her – Hiei came to the reluctant conclusion that there was only two ways to stop Botan from going back to spirit world and telling Koenma what he was up to: he had to either kill her or take her with him. And, as appealing an option as the former was, as a matter of honour Hiei could not kill someone who been the only person to see through Inukasai's lies and to stand by him loyally.

"What's in the bag?" he asked.

"Clothing, a tent, some food rations and money," she replied.

"Where did you get all that?" he asked.

"The SDF locker room and supply closet," she replied.

"Did you take it without permission?"

"Yes."

Hiei felt that she was deceiving him somehow, but letting her go or fighting with her too hard were both risks that he could not afford to take.

"Can you keep up with me even if you are carrying that bag?" he asked.

"Oh Hiei, how considerate of you!"

"I–whuh?"

Hiei grunted as the ferry girl swung her bag off her shoulder and almost threw it at him. He caught it awkwardly in his arms, glaring over the top of it at her.

"You're such a gentleman, Hiei," she said sweetly. "I bet that lying bully Inukasai wouldn't offer to carry a lady's bag!"

Inukasai probably would have offered to carry the lady herself too, Hiei thought darkly, but he chose not to admit as much, instead adjusting the carrying handle of the bag across his chest as she had been carrying it. It hung a little low and would hinder his ability to sprint freely, but he reasoned that would probably be to her advantage, as his slowed pace would make it easier for her to keep up with him.

"Let's go," he said.

She nodded and leapt onto her oar, and together they left for demon world.

* * *

Botan was not really sure what Hiei was doing, but as he looked quite serious and quite absorbed in his mysterious task, she did not dare ask. Ordinarily her curiosity would have bested her after barely a minute of watching him, but, as it was, her mind was already full of other pressing matters that were helping curb her more typical inquisitiveness. Mainly, she was fretting about the fact that Hiei wanted to sleep that night. She was tired, and she knew that sleeping was a wise decision for them both, but she also knew that sleeping meant losing time that could otherwise be spent going to the village of the dog demon tribe – apparently called Inugoya – and finding the answers they needed.

It was imperative that they found the information they needed as quickly as possible; after all, if they met with any delays or had difficulty finding what they sought, it may take longer than a week to resolve the situation, and Koenma had ordered Botan to report back to him in one week's time. She could not take longer than a week to drive out Inukasai because if she did, she would have to make the difficult decision between confronting Koenma and telling him that she could not do what he had asked of her and spy on Hiei's misery, or she would have to remain in demon world until the matter was resolved and she could safely return, and hope that Koenma did not send anyone after her in the mean time. She was also hoping that she would not be forced to enact either option, as both would lead to her being severely punished and demoted to ferry girl indefinitely: that dream of getting a seat on the spirit world council would never be realised if she showed herself to be a rebel who disobeyed orders by putting her own personal feelings ahead of the interests of spirit world as a whole.

It was a stupid idea anyway, she thought bitterly. Koenma had no need to conduct such an experiment: Hiei's life alone was proof that there was no legitimate debate on nature versus nurture. Hiei had been born with a terrible nature, he had been nurtured to adulthood by the worst of demon world, and yet he had turned into a perfectly decent guy. By Koenma's logic, Hiei ought to be pure evil: either because he had been born evil (nature) or because he had been raised in a bad environment (nurture), but he was anything but. On the other hand, Inukasai had been born evil (nature), had seemingly been raised well (nurture), and yet he had turned into a vile excuse for a man. He was not even the creature he had been born as – a bloodthirsty killing machine, as the legend went – rather he was a devious and manipulative cad, something he must have learned despite his more comfortable life.

Botan wondered if she ought to write that in her report: both Hiei and Inukasai were born the same way, but both changed their ways and both did so in spite of their upbringing, therefore the nature versus nurture argument is null and void.

Botan started to think that maybe she was on to something, maybe she had come across the ideal solution, maybe if she did write a report on her findings she could still get that position on the spirit world council: but then she realised that she was smiling smugly and Hiei was sneering at her.

"Is everything alright?" she asked him.

"Don't you dare say it," he growled back. "You say even one word about it, and I will kill you."

Botan froze, remembering then that, of course, Hiei could read her mind. She had no idea how long he had been watching her, how long he had been studying her thoughts: she hoped not long enough that he knew about the "mission" Koenma had set for her or how much trouble would arise when she failed to complete it.

"Through here," he said, pointing at a gap in the hanging vines he had been so painstakingly unwinding. "And don't say anything."

Botan wondered where he was sending her. She wondered why he was not just killing her with his bare hands.

"Not a word," he hissed as she edged closer to the gap.

She gave him one last wary look before ducking her head down and peering through the vines at what lay beyond.

"Gracious, it's so–"

Botan's stopped abruptly as Hiei's sword appeared across her throat, the blade so close to her skin that she could almost feel it slicing into her and she was too afraid to even swallow for fear that even the slightes of movements would bring her into contact with the lethally sharp metal.

"Get through there, say nothing," Hiei told her.

She moved her eyes to him expectantly, and with a grunt he removed his weapon. She stepped through the gap in the vines and took a few steps into the land beyond before stopping to look about herself in slack-jawed awe. Behind her she heard Hiei following and hauling her bag through. A glance back at him showed that he was knitting the vines back together behind them, and she realised then that the plants covered a small, round opening in a rocky embankment, and that Hiei must have known where and how to find it, and he was now covering their tracks.

"Where are we?" she asked as he carefully realigned the vines.

"It's not pretty," he growled, his eyes never leaving his task.

"What is this place? Is this the mountain village?"

"It's not scenic either."

"I don't remember us climbing the mountain. Didn't you say we were going to find a place to sleep first? Is this where you usually sleep? Is this where you live in demon world? I never pictured your home looking like this…"

"It is not romantic, don't you dare call it that!"

Botan turned to look directly at Hiei as he halted his task to look directly at her.

"It's just a passageway!" he snapped.

"Well I can see that!" she snapped back. "But, now that you mention it, it is very pretty and scenic and it does create quite a romantic atmosphere."

Hiei growled and turned back to his work and Botan turned back to the view ahead of her. She was standing inside a small cave, but beyond the mouth of the cave was a long, wide road, stretching as far as the eye could see, and it was easily more beautiful and colourful than anything Botan had ever seen in spirit world and possibly even the living world. Either side of the road was edged with white wooden fencing, behind which were lines of large trees that had grown up and over the road, the branches hanging over under the weight of the flowers blooming from them, forming an aromatic archway.

"Are those wisterias?" she asked as Hiei finally finished his task and moved to stand alongside her.

"How the hell should I know?" he grumpily responded. "I'm not Kurama."

"You don't have to be a plant expert to be able to identify a plant, Hiei," Botan pointed out.

"I disagree," Hiei said, starting to walk on, dragging Botan's bag along the ground behind him as he went.

"Well you shouldn't disagree because I'm right!" Botan said, hurrying after him. "I'm not a plant expert, and I knew those lovely hanging purple flowers were from the wisteri–ah!"

Botan screamed and dropped into a crouch, hugging her arms over her head. She waited until she was sure that she was not about to be attacked before daring to lower her arms and look up, where she found Hiei standing a few paces ahead of her, grinning wickedly back over his shoulder at her.

"I maybe can't identify what species a plant is, but I can at least tell the difference between a plant from the human world and a plant from the demon world," he said.

Botan slowly looked up at the delicate flowers dangling overhead, realising then that every one of the perhaps millions of flowerheads had a tiny set of jaws encasing a pale lilac tongue.

"They do bite and they are hungry. Try not to get yourself killed."

Botan gasped but Hiei's grin merely widened before he turned and walked on. She tried to stand to follow him, but again the flowers dived at her head and she fell onto all fours in her panic to escape them. She looked forward at Hiei, who was sauntering down the middle of the road, carelessly dragging her bag behind him as he went.

"Why aren't the flowers attacking you too, Hiei?" she called after him.

"Because I don't smell like something they would eat," Hiei casually replied, without so much as a backward glance.

"Are you telling me that I smell like compost or manure?" Botan yelled.

When Hiei did not answer her she tried to stand again, fell over in fear as the flowers charged at her again, crawled frantically for several yards before finally summoning her oar and lying on top of it, facedown, and then raising herself just high enough to avoid colliding with any bumps in the road before zooming after Hiei. Once she had reached him she heard him make a small noise of surprise and she distinctly saw him look down at her with wide, curious eyes – a look she rarely saw on his face – as though he was secretly surprised at her ingenuity.

"You might have warned me about the flowers, Hiei," she said. "It's not funny, you know."

"There are things like this all over demon world," he replied. "I took us this way to demonstrate the point that not everything here is how it appears."

"Oh, I see… Like Inukasai?"

"…How so?"

"Well, these flowers seem all nice and likeable, but really they're evil and ugly?"

"Hn."

"Where are we going now?"

"There are more caves at the end of this road. We'll spend the night in one of them."

"Ah."

Botan peered up wearily at the delicately pretty – if viciously ugly – flowers overhead.

"Why are we sleeping here?" she asked.

"Would you choose to wrestle with vines to find the opening to a road lined with trees that sprout venomous flowers?" Hiei asked.

"The flowers are venomous?" Botan wailed.

"Exactly," Hiei calmly continued. "So nobody will approach from the way we have come, and as this road is all that lies beyond the caves, it's unlikely anyone will approach from the other direction either. Nothing can approach from overhead because of the flowers. We should be safe."

"Oh… Yes, well, I suppose that was very clever of you to think of all of that…"

"I don't normally need to take such precautions, but I can't afford to have Koenma on my back if something happens to you."

"I understand."

"Normally I would just sleep in a tree, or return to my quarters in Mukuro's headquarters."

Botan gasped, a solution to both her and Hiei's problems suddenly occurring to her.

"We could ask Mukuro for help!" she declared.

She thought it vaguely odd that Hiei did little more than sneer at her words, but she continued regardless.

"Yes, of course! Why didn't I think of it before! Mukuro runs the border patrol, and Inukasai said he had to battle against a patrol unit to gain passage to the living world, so he must have come to blows with some of Mukuro's men! We can just ask her to help us! She'll know who it was that he battled, and she'll know when and where it was, and she can tell Yukina how brutally he fought against the guard officers and what a nasty man he really is!"

When Hiei still did nothing more than sneer, Botan began to grow suspicious.

"I think it should be you who asks her to help us, not me, Hiei," she added. "You're her favourite ally, she doesn't even know who I am."

Hiei snorted and muttered something that Botan could not quite make out.

"Hiei?" she pressed.

"You can get out of that ridiculous position now, the flowers can't reach you here," he replied.

Botan looked up and saw that they were in fact clear of the road, and at the entrance to a network of caves. She raised herself up into the air before adjusting her position and banishing her oar to land on her feet. She then turned to Hiei, finding him looking inexplicably irritated. The look on his face suggested that he was not in the mood for talking, but she had to know why he did not agree that her idea was the most logical one for fixing their current problem.

* * *

"Ally perhaps isn't the right word. Aren't you and Mukuro more than just allies? I mean, I saw your fight against her in the demon world tournament. There was definitely something going on there. She hugged you at the end of the fight. And, unlike those deceptive flowers back there, that was very romantic."

Hiei fought back the urge to both threaten to and actually attempt to kill Botan. The only thing keeping her safe was the fact that she had stood by him in his time of need, but she was continually treading on thin ice, and never more so than with her last remark.

"Let me make something abundantly clear to you, woman," he ground out through tightly clenched teeth. "There is nothing romantic about anything in demon world: not the flowers, not the sunsets, not that moment at the end of my battle against Mukuro and definitely not between Mukuro and me. Do you understand what I am telling you?"

"No."

Hiei closed his eyes and took a deep breath – the way Kurama had taught him to do when he was dangerously close to killing Kuwabara – and tried to centre himself.

"Romance is everywhere," the ferry girl continued. "It's an energy: it can neither be created nor destroyed, it just is."

"Don't you mean love is an energy?" Hiei asked, his eyes still closed to block out the dreamy look he was almost certain she was wearing, given that she was waxing lyrical about her favourite topic.

"Love is an energy, yes," she agreed.

"Right. Love and romance are not the same thing."

"Not always, but they are related."

"Do you know what the single biggest thing I hate the most about you is, Botan?"

The ferry girl did not answer him, and Hiei thought perhaps it was because he had addressed her by her name, something he rarely bothered doing as he rarely thought her worth such attention.

"I hate that you are always looking for romance in everything, and if you cannot find it naturally present, you force it into what you see. I've watched you do it for years with Yusuke and Keiko, with Yukina and Kuwabara and even with Kurama if you think he has a girlfriend: do not think that you can do it to me."

"But Hiei–"

"I do not have a single inclination for romance within me, not a single romantic bone in my body. Do you understand?"

"No."

Hiei opened his eyes sharply, his lips peeling back to expose almost every tooth in his head as he glared over at Botan, who was pouting back at him as though she thought he was the one being unreasonable.

"I know you, Hiei," she said. "I know you don't think I do, but I do. And I know that an honourable, decent, imaginative, secretly caring, protective guy who loves his sister like you do has a great capacity to be very romantic."

"And I know you, Botan," Hiei replied, keeping his tone as controlled as he possibly could. "And I know that you are obsessed with romance. You are literally obsessed with it. Whenever Yusuke fondles Keiko's backside and tells her she's getting "hotter every day" you coo and clasp your hands by your face and act like it's the most glorious thing you've ever witnessed, when in fact it is, at best, mundane, at worst, inglorious. When Kuwabara makes a fool of himself at Yukina's feet you at least agree that it's a ridiculous sight, but you always qualify it by talking about how "romantic" Kuwabara is, as though the sight of him dancing about and calling my sister increasingly ludicrous pet names is anything other than pathetic. You have a problem, and you should address it, deal with it and get over it. You are obsessed with romance."

"Yes I am."

"Yes you are!"

Botan turned away from Hiei and he was glad that she was apparently not going to argue with him any further: after all, the last thing he wanted was to have to attempt to explain to her why his relationship with Mukuro was not "romantic". He watched her mill about the various alcoves of the cave before appearing to settle upon one. She then walked back over towards him and collected her bag, her face ashen and her eyes turned downwards the whole time. She took her bag to the hollow and knelt down beside it, pulling out a few items of clothing and a blanket to make herself a makeshift bed. Once she was done she lay down onto what she had created and turned so that she was lying with her back to Hiei, and lifted the blanket up over her head.

It was so peaceful without the sound of her voice.

Hiei marched over to her side and poked at what he hoped was her shoulder with the toe of his boot.

"Hey, woman," he said. "Why are you ignoring me?"

He waited a few seconds for her to respond and when she did not he poked her again with his foot.

"Don't sulk with me, that's immature behaviour!" he snapped. "Tell me why you've gone quiet, or I won't speak to you again until you do!"

He waited a little longer but still she did not respond.

"I know you're not asleep already!" he warned her.

She sighed and then rolled over onto her back, looking up at him with an uncharacteristic sadness in her face that almost made her look like someone worthy of being taken seriously.

"You're right, Hiei," she said. "I am obsessed with romance. I think it's the most wonderful thing imaginable, and I think about it all the time."

"Well don't sulk with me because of that," Hiei answered her. "It's not my fault you're obsessed with something so intangible."

"Intangible is exactly what romance is for me though," she replied. "That's the problem."

Hiei started to wish he had just left her sulking.

"You're in love with Yusuke," he said.

"No!" she replied with enough indignation for it to seem to be the truth.

"You're in love with Kurama."

"No!"

"Not Kuwabara, surely?"

"Goodness me, no!"

"Koenma?"

"Prince Koenma is a child, Hiei."

"Yes, and you often act like one. Like right now."

"I'm not in love with anyone. I'm just in love with love."

"That's pathetic."

"I know."

Hiei waited for her to expand on her reply, but instead she started to look pitiful.

"Good night, Hiei," she said.

She started to turn away from him again, pulling the blanket up over her head again.

"It's not my fault you're suffering from a delusional attraction to someone incapable of requiting your feelings," he pointed out.

She said nothing and Hiei started to get annoyed again. He made to poke at her with his foot again, but when he remembered how well that had just worked for him, he instead turned away and walked to an alcove overlooking hers – so that he could keep her in his sights lest something happen to her or she had a change of heart and tried to flee back to spirit world – and began making himself comfortable. He removed his cloak and rolled it up into a ball to use as a pillow, lying down on his side facing the pile of clothing and blanket that was obscuring the ferry girl from sight.

"You shouldn't waste your efforts chasing an impossible dream, one that hinges on someone else feeling or doing something they never will," he said.

"I don't want to talk about it any more," a muffled voice answered him.

"Neither do I, it's so ridiculous," he replied.

Hiei drummed his fingers against the cave floor as he waited for her to say something more. When she remained silent he started to turn away so that he would not have to look at her – not that he could really see her anyway – and as he turned he thought he heard something.

"What did you say?" he asked, sitting bolt upright and fixing his eyes onto her.

"Nothing," her muffled voice replied. "Your boot squeaked against some moss on the rocks as you turned over."

"Fine," Hiei grumbled, turning away from her and lying down again. "Just stop talking, I'm trying to get some sleep."

When she said nothing more Hiei growled and closed his eyes. After a few seconds it became clear to him that he was not going to get much sleep that night, and it was all because of that ferry girl who never stopped talking.

* * *

Botan slowly opened her eyes, at first vaguely wondering why she ached all over and appeared to be sleeping in a stone cave; but she very quickly came to her senses when she realised that Hiei was sitting immediately next to her, cross-legged and leaning forwards, his face close to hers and his eyes studying her in a most unusual way.

"Hiei?" she said faintly.

"We need to move," he replied. "The sun is up and the butterflies are out. They come this way to get to the flowers."

Botan gasped, scrambling to free herself from her bedding: the evil flowers would eat the butterflies, and she had to act. Once she was free of her bedding she hurriedly pulled on her ankle boots and darted back towards the opening of the cave overlooking the road lined with archways of purple flowers.

"What are you doing?"

Hiei had asked her the question at the exact same moment that she had wondered it herself. On the road ahead of her, butterflies the size of her forearm with green fangs and purple eyes were battling against the flowers, and there were pools of various coloured liquids splatted all over the road surface – Botan could not be sure if it was blood, venom or saliva – and both the flowers and the butterflies were growling and screeching in a way that actually made her feel sick to listen to.

"This is demon world," she said, turning around to face Hiei. "And things are different here."

"Pack your bag, I'm not doing it for you," he replied.

"Good morning to you too, Hiei!" she sarcastically replied before stomping over to her belongings and stuffing them all back into her bag.

Hiei paced about nearby as she completed her task, and, much to her relief, once she had closed the zip on the bag – after several attempts due to her hasty and untidy packing – he took the bag from her without question or hesitation and carried it onwards. She hurried after him, relieved when he chose to move at a brisk walking pace.

At first Hiei and Botan travelled in silence; but, as they moved deeper and deeper into the cave system and their surroundings became darker and darker and the passageways became narrower and lower, Botan began to wonder exactly where Hiei was leading her. When her stomach growled audibly and she caught Hiei casting her a brief, disapproving glare, she decided to question him on the matter.

"Will we be stopping for breakfast any time soon?" she asked. "I have food rations in my bag that we could share."

"It's best not to linger in here," Hiei replied.

"Because of the butterflies?" Botan asked.

"No, because of the warthogs that live in these caves. They're very violent and they eat creatures like you and me."

"Oh…"

Botan gulped and ducked under a low hanging anomaly in the cave roof.

"We're quite enclosed in here," she said nervously. "If something were to come upon us, there'd be nowhere to run to…"

"I'm not afraid of a dirty cave dweller," Hiei flatly replied.

"Well I might be…" Botan said quietly.

"You're going to have to make a decision very soon."

Botan paused, inadvertently falling a few steps behind Hiei as he continued without breaking pace. When she heard something snapping behind her she hurried after him fearfully. She glanced back and forth between Hiei and the path behind her, silently wondering what was more frightening: encountering a man-eating warthog or Hiei knowing that Koenma had asked her to spy on him and report on his actions and behaviours.

"You can eat your food rations or we can impose upon our hosts for a meal."

Botan turned back to Hiei abruptly, one hand flying up to shield her eyes as they rounded a corner and she was suddenly presented by the blinding light of the sun, still low in the early morning sky. She gladly followed Hiei out of the caves and onto a gravelly ridge, overlooking a wide flat valley, surrounded on three sides by hills. She turned to Hiei to ask him where they were, for although the land was quite barren, it was quite a peaceful, scenic part of demon world, looking much like a wilderness in a warmer, drier part of the living world. But, before she could find the words to ask, she noticed something carved onto a flat rock behind Hiei's head. It was a list of three words next to numbers, with arrows pointing in different directions. The top one read "Inugoya, 3" and pointed towards the highest of the three hill ranges, at the back of the large valley, and as she looked out in the direction the arrow had indicated, she noticed the craggy outline of a small settlement at the summit of the hill.

"Oh I see," she said, turning back to Hiei. "Perhaps we should just eat the rations. I somehow don't think Inukasai's family will be the most welcoming of hosts."

"Hn, isn't being gracious and generous what they're all about?" Hiei replied with a smirk that Botan thought looked more vicious than amused.

He started to walk on and Botan slowly followed, her stomach demanding food again and her mind left wondering if she ought to argue the case with Hiei or just wait until they got to the village, whereupon she could just take back her bag and eat then.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Hiei and Botan arrive in Inukasai's hometown, and it's even worse than Botan imagined it might be, especially when they discover that Inukasai has arrived back home ahead of them. Somewhere amidst a manic meeting with Inukasai's father (the tribe leader) and an introduction to the rest of Inukasai's (very large) family, Hiei tells a little lie about Botan that forces her into an awkward position. **Chapter 6 – In The Dog House**

 **A/N:** A few things of note in the chapter:

Hiei's age is totally a random number. For the sake of this fic, I needed Yukina to be far away from 100, but Hiei to be old enough to have a fair amount of experience at life. I also needed Inukasai to be older than Hiei but also younger than 100 – and there really is no more logic to the numbers than that.

Inukasai means fire dog/dog of fire (have I mentioned that already?).

Inugoya means dog kennel/dog house.

Botan made a specific point in this chapter of remembering one of Ootake's instructions for correct conduct in demon world: watch as she fails to continue that trend in every chapter from here on out…


	6. In the Dog House

**Chapter 6 – In the Dog House**

The first thing Botan noticed about the mountain village of Inugoya was the smell. Long before any of the little huts, the lines of laundry drying in the wind, the well in the village centre or any of the residents themselves were clearly definable to the eye, the scent of the village was clearly offensive to the nose. The smell – which was a largely unpleasant blend of sweat (both fresh and stale), partially cooked and slightly aged meat, beer and just a hint of stagnant water – only intensified as Hiei and Botan got closer to the village of Inugoya, and, as they began to climb up a narrow, winding path to the summit, Botan's eyes began to water from the stench and she wondered how it was that Hiei was so unaffected by it. Her appetite had long left her, and she was glad that she had not eaten breakfast, as she knew that she would only have brought it back up again after climbing a steep hill against the light and heat of the rising sun that caused her to heave in deep breaths, drawing in even more of the aroma until she could taste it and almost feel it in the air around her.

As they passed a sign alerting them that they were entering Inugoya, the home of the dog demon tribe, Botan silently wondered how it was possible that Inukasai had not reeked of the same scent when he had visited Yukina, since a quick check of the tip of her ponytail told her that her own hair had already absorbed some of the odour. She was glad when Hiei stopped walking, as she was dripping with sweat, her legs were shaking from the climb and she was struggling to breathe: both because the physical exertion of the village approach had left her breathless and because she had been trying to hold her breath to avoid inhaling any more of the stench in the air around her. She stopped at Hiei's side and doubled over, grabbing at her knees to support herself as she tried to calm her breathing, watching as droplets of sweat hit the dry ground at her feet.

"Hey Inukasai, who's your friend?"

Botan held her position but did look up, seeing a black haired man with dog ears on top of his head grinning at Hiei. She realised then that not even the dog demons could differentiate between Hiei and Inukasai – which she thought was quite odd, because, although the two emikos were very similar, she had no trouble telling them apart – and she thought that perhaps they could use that fact to their advantage. She straightened up and prepared herself to whisper to Hiei that he ought to continue the charade of being Inukasai and just ask where his father was, as the dog demon before them would then take them to the tribe leader, and they could get straight to the point and find out which ice maiden he had fathered a child with: but what Hiei said next made Botan realise that, in formulating her plan, she must have taken leave of her senses during the exhausting and stinky climb to Inugoya, as Hiei was never the sort to use subterfuge or subtlety.

"I'm not Inukasai, you fat ugly fool. Show me where your leader is and don't bother saying any more, the smell of your breath is arguably worse than the smell of your village."

Botan grinned nervously as the dog demon glanced back and forth between her and Hiei, looking confused and offended.

"We just need to have a word with your leader," she tried.

"Our leader doesn't talk to strangers," the dog demon answered her, before once more turning to Hiei, edging closer to him. "Inukasai? Is this a joke?"

Hiei started to reach for his bandana, and at first Botan thought he was preparing himself to use an attack powered by his jagan eye to slaughter the demon in front of him and possibly flatten most of the village in the process; but when she saw the pained look on Hiei's face she realised that he was probably only removing the bandana to reveal his jagan eye, a feature that clearly differentiated him from Inukasai. As he started to loosen the bandana however, the dog demon stepped closer to Hiei and sniffed at the air, his lips curling back over his fangs.

"Hey, that smell…" he said. "You're not Inukasai!"

Hiei tightened his bandana again and lowered his arms to his sides.

"Take us to your leader," he said.

"Yeah, that's what they all say…" the dog demon grumbled.

"Please Sir, we have something very important we need to discuss with your leader," Botan tried. "We promise we won't be long."

The dog demon stepped closer to Botan, sniffing the air around her, his teeth still bared.

"I've never smelt something like you before," he concluded. "You don't smell like anything from this world. Except maybe the butterflies."

As an image of the ugly fanged creatures from earlier that morning entered Botan's mind her temper flared.

"How dare you accuse me of smelling badly?" she snapped. "Maybe your nose is just too close to your own armpits, because you smell just as bad as the rest of this place, which, by the way, reeks!"

"It's a village of dogs, what did you expect?" Hiei muttered.

"Kurama is a fox demon and he's never smelt anywhere near as bad as this place! Not even after a long fight when he's soaked in blood and sweat! The smell up here is completely unnecessary, what do they do, just urinate and defecate wherever they feel like it? Do they never wash? I see a well for gathering water and there are several streams of fresh water on the hillside, they have no excuse! And what's the deal with the laundry drying on the line over there? Why bother washing your clothes and your linen if you're not going to bother washing your filthy bodies! It's disgusting and illogical!"

Botan had been aware, partway through her rant, that she had perhaps gone too far or gotten a little too personal with her insults, but when she finished her speech and the dog demon before her looked strangely subdued, she thought that perhaps her words had reached him, perhaps he accepted the accusations and intended to consider some of her criticisms.

What happened next quickly vanquished any glimmer of hope she had felt, however.

"Oh dear, I see I've been followed home."

Hiei growled a curse under his breath as Inukasai started towards them. Botan straightened her back and gulped, trying to ignore the fact that she actually felt afraid of him, the memory of his attack against her still so clear in her mind that she could feel the sting in her face just looking at him. He was still dressed the same as Hiei – although he was not wearing his cloak, only a vest – and he was once more wearing a bandana of some sort, despite not needing to do so as Hiei did. He stopped beside the dog demon and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry my friend, I'll take care of this," he said.

"I could rough them up for you, Inukasai," the dog demon offered.

"That won't be necessary," Inukasai replied. "They followed me here after my return from my recent trip to the living world to find my sister. The emiko is a drone for the border patrol."

"Hiei is not a drone, he is an officer and a gentleman!" Botan cried.

She quickly regretted her outburst when Inukasai turned to her with a threatening glare.

"And this one is just a highly-strung messenger from spirit world who likes to cause trouble," he said as he looked at her.

"Is he here to arrest you?" the dog demon asked, pointing at Hiei.

"I care not if he is," Inukasai casually replied. "I knew I was taking a gamble visiting the living world and I am prepared to deal with the consequences."

"I'll tell your father they're here," the dog demon offered.

"Don't bother him with this trivial matter," Inukasai replied.

"Yes do bother him, he's the one we came to see!"

Botan clapped her hands over her mouth as Inukasai rounded on her again at her outburst.

"You really do have a big mouth, lady," he growled at her.

He nodded at his companion, who turned and made his way back into the village.

"So," he said, turning to Hiei. "I assume you have come to apprehend me for intercepting a patrol unit?"

"How do you know I work for the border patrol?" Hiei asked him.

"Mister Kuwabara told me," Inukasai replied. "He told me you were a friend and that you would help clear my name. He said you were someone who had taken an active interest in aiding my sister in her search for her brother, and as such you would be as pleased that she had found success as he was, and you would help me explain myself to the border patrol authorities."

"Kuwabara always did talk nonsense," Hiei flatly replied. "Tell me something else: how did you know I too am an emiko?"

Botan's face twisted involuntarily.

"Hiei, do you really even need to ask that question?" she whispered to him.

"How did you know?" Hiei pressed, keeping his eyes on Inukasai.

"In the same way a dog knows the difference between another dog and a wolf, I know the difference between a fellow emiko and a common fire demon," Inukasai replied. "Even with your falsely implanted jagan eye, you can neither hide what you are nor escape it."

"I don't like the way you talk, mister!" Botan snapped.

Inukasai's head whipped around and he fixed narrowed eyes onto her and again she began quivering fearfully.

"You should just shut-up," Hiei quietly warned her.

"The two of you do make quite the comically mismatched duo," Inukasai commented, glancing back and forth between Hiei and Botan. "I also find it somewhat ironic that my sister became acquainted with an emiko, and that he was helping her search for her missing twin."

"I'm feeling generous today, so I'm going to tell you what needs to happen, and I'm even going to give you the option of how it occurs," Hiei replied. "First of all, there's something we need to discuss with your leader, so you're going to take us to him, and leave us with him until we have the matter sorted. Then I need to bring you to Mukuro, and you can decide how that will happen: either you can come with us willingly, or I will kill you and deliver your corpse to Mukuro."

"I propose an alternative: none of those things are going to happen. You have no business with my father and I will not allow anyone to arrest me for a crime I committed under duress."

"If you didn't want to attack the patrol, why didn't you just report to them and request access to the living world to find Yukina?" Botan asked.

Inukasai gave her a long look that started out as one of disapproval but shortly devolved into one of near pity. He then turned to Hiei, the look of pity remaining.

"One thing I have observed about Yukina is the very strange company she keeps," he said. "Mister Kuwabara and his sister I do not mind so much: one is a very devoted admirer of Yukina and the other almost a mother-figure, and both are dedicated to her best interests. The others, however, are rather odd, at best. The mazoku son of the late King Raizen who moonlights as a human lover of a very plain and consistently irritating human girl–"

"How dare you say that about Keiko!" Botan protested.

"The fox demon who stows his soul inside a human body and pretends to be a perfect human boy, a once legendary bandit relegated to a life of mediocrity and apparently satisfied with it–"

"You don't even know Kurama!" Botan argued.

"An emiko with a fake jagan eye who works on the border patrol, and, despite being heralded as a friend by the group, is highly indifferent to them all and is generally abrasive and unpleasant–"

"Hiei is worth a million of you!"

"And his ferry girl paramour, who has a shrill voice, foul manners and is generally so irritating, it's little wonder she couldn't find a companion within her own world."

"What?"

Botan's eyes were wide and her face pale as she stared at Inukasai. His last remark had left her reeling, but Hiei did not seem at all fazed by the enormity of it.

"You're hardly in a position to judge anyone else, Inukasai," Hiei confidently replied. "You live with a tribe of smelly, flea-ridden dogs, your father is a well-known fool and your biggest accomplishment was to manage a fluke victory over a group of patrol officers you ambushed."

"I know not why you are so unhappy with your life, Hiei," Inukasai replied. "But I do not share you insecurities, least of all now that my family is finally complete. Might I suggest that you too visit the ice village: perhaps if you met your ancestors and gained a better appreciation of where you had come from you could make better decisions about where you want to go in your life."

"Hiei is going to plenty of places much less smellier and much more dignified than you!" Botan said.

Inukasai gave her a withering look as he released a sigh.

"Hiei, you really need to exercise some control over your woman," he said, turning back to Hiei. "I understand that you must have struggled to find a demon woman to be your partner, but if you really must take a ferry girl, could you not at least pick one with a little more self-restraint than this idiot?"

"Leave her out of this," Hiei replied. "She has nothing to do with you."

"On the contrary, she has everything to do with me," Inukasai replied. "She tried to attack me, she threatened to tell Yukina that I am a fraud and she tried to drive me out of the living world. Tell me, was she acting on one of her own poorly thought out impulses, or was she responding to your instruction? It seems to be awfully convenient that she appeared at Mister Kuwabara's house around the same time as you did and that when she attempted to engage me in physical combat you came to her rescue as though you had been spying on us."

"You are a fraud, "Inukasai"!" Botan protested.

"Inukasai is my name, lady," he replied. "You do not need to say it that way, as though you suspect otherwise. My father named me. All the male members of our tribe have named prefixed "Inu", as we are the dog demon tribe. In my case, the name means "fire dog", and I was so named because of my fire powers."

"I don't care if they named you "ugly dog" – which would have been a more accurate description of what you are, inside and out!" Botan snapped back. "You're not a dog demon, so it's all meaningless!"

"It's true that I am not a dog demon," Inukasai calmly replied. "But I was named so because I am my father's son, and he is the leader of this tribe. I carry the genes of a dog demon – through my father – and I expect my unborn child to be born a dog demon too."

Botan opened her mouth to argue further before realising exactly what Inukasai had just said and finding herself stunned into silence.

"They let you procreate?" Hiei sneered.

It was a crude question, bluntly put: but it was the same question Botan had been wondering herself.

"I am married to a young dog demon of this tribe, yes," Inukasai replied. "And she is presently carrying our first child. I didn't tell Yukina about it because I had hoped that she would come here to Inugoya and I would be able to introduce her to my family in person. It is my greatest wish that my sister can be here for the birth of my son."

To Botan's surprise, Hiei smiled – or perhaps rather he grinned, in a slightly wicked way – upon hearing Inukasai's words.

"You took a fellow member of this tribe as your wife?" he said. "How very incestuous of you. Was she your cousin or your half-sister?"

"Contrary to popular belief, the members of the dog demon tribe are not all one big family," Inukasai replied.

"But you are all descended from the tribe leader, one way or another," Hiei replied.

When Inukasai did not respond, Hiei's grin widened.

"And it seems your visit to the ice village was not as educational as you claim," he continued. "If you really did go there to learn about your ancestors and your heritage, I wonder how it is that you didn't learn about exactly what sort of child you can expect your wife to give birth to."

Botan side-stepped closer to Hiei and leaned towards him.

"What do you mean?" she whispered to him. "Will his children be born as emikos too?"

Hiei did not answer her, but she suspected that her guess had been correct, as Inukasai faltered ever to slightly, a hint of concern creeping into his generally confident expression.

"I have no obligation to do so and not even any need to satisfy my own ego so, but regardless, I am going to let you enter the village," he said. "I will take you to my father, and you can see for yourselves that my sister, my mother and the ice village are not topics he readily discusses with anyone – least of all hostile outsiders like yourselves. Once you are done wasting both your and my father's time with that endeavour, I invite you to visit me at my home. Meet my wife – who is a demon, Hiei, not a ferry girl – and see for yourself that the child she carries is in no way emitting the aura of violence and recklessness that I once did."

"I think I'll pass on the second part of that offer," Hiei replied. "I have no desire to waste my time having afternoon tea with your mongrel slut of a wife."

Inukasai made to reach for his sword but Hiei – in a movement too fast for Botan to even see the flash of – caught his wrist just before his fingers reached the hilt of his weapon.

"Just take us to your father," Hiei warned him. "And I'll consider letting you live."

Inukasai growled in a tone so feral that he almost sounded like a dog demon, and he yanked his wrist from Hiei's grasp before spinning on his heels and starting into the village. Hiei nodded at Botan to follow and together they started after him. Botan moved to walk closely at Hiei's side, glancing about herself as she went at the quite impoverished looking dog demons who populated the village.

"You could just kill Inukasai, you know," she whispered to Hiei as they walked. "I wouldn't complain if you did."

"I need him alive," Hiei replied. "And it would be unwise to kill the tribe leader's son in the presence of the entire tribe: they are too great in number to defeat cleanly in the evitable ensuing battle, and whilst I'm sure I would be alright, I couldn't guarantee that you would make it out alive."

"Oh, right, good point…"

Botan returned to looking about herself, unsure if she found it reassuring or odd that none of the dog demons they were passing looked her way; it was as though they did not care that two strangers were walking through their village. The further they walked the more Botan realised that the village actually had about twice as many houses as it had appeared to have from the mountain path, and that each small house seemed to be home to a deceptively large family of dog demons, usually including at least two – and in one case as many as eleven – children. When a slightly larger, slightly more ornate house came into view, surrounded by women and children of all ages, Botan found herself better appreciating two of the things Hiei had said.

The dog demons really were quite numerous, and they really were quite incestuous.

* * *

Hiei did not even bother to try masking his contempt as Inukasai led them towards the tribe leader's house. Hiei had never been to Inugoya before, but he knew enough about the dog demon tribe to know that they were easily the most polygamous and incestuous of all demon families. Any member of the tribe who achieved even a B-class power rating would doubtlessly have multiple spouses and numerous offspring: and that rule applied whether the powerful demon was male or female. A powerful male dog demon attracted multiple wives who bore him multiple children and a powerful female dog demon would intentionally procreate with as many male members of the tribe as she could in the hope that one of them would help her produce a child as strong as she was.

The only thing dirtier than the smell of the dog demons was the low morals of their sexual behaviour.

The leader of the tribe – as the most powerful, the oldest and the most influential – had more wives than Hiei could count. He wondered why the filthy old bastard had chased after an ice maiden; though probably it was only because he had become bored of bedding his own sisters and cousins, Hiei thought with a sneer. Looking around the scores of female dog demons standing around the leader's house, Hiei amused himself by trying to guess which ones were the old man's wives and which ones were his daughters. As he came to the sickening conclusion that many were probably both, Inukasai stepped into the house, leaving the door open for Hiei and Botan to follow.

Hiei grunted at the ferry girl and pointed at the open doorway. She thanked him and smiled – despite still looking very nervous – as though she thought he was being chivalrous by letting her walk ahead of him rather than acting on his need to keep her where he could see her, lest she get herself into trouble. He followed her in, musing to himself as he did so that Inukasai's pathetic tale about how his father had loved his mother was clearly just more lies, as the man had plenty of other wives to help him deal with the loss of the ice maiden he had probably only copulated with once, and even then probably on their first (and only) meeting.

The inside of the house smelled every bit as bad as the outside of the village did, only with the added insult of the odours of damp, urine and general old man smell. The ferry girl was pretending to admire the substandard artwork hanging on the walls, one hand on her face in what she probably thought looked like a thoughtful pose, but was in fact quite clearly her vain attempt to cover her nose and mouth with one hand to block out some of the stench: which was epic, even by demon world standards.

Inukasai finally led them into a large, untidy and dirty room that was probably supposed to be a living room, with a large couch at one end of it, facing the doorway. The tribe leader was sitting in the couch, his obese girth easily filling what was intended to be a multi-person piece of furniture.

"Father, forgive my intrusion," Inukasai said, lowering himself to one knee before the tribe leader. "These outsiders have requested an audience with you. If you do not wish to waste your time with them, I will remove them from here."

The tribe leader moved his squinting little eyes first to Hiei, a vague look of interest appearing on his face before his eyes moved to Botan, and his interest turned to something that made Hiei's stomach churn.

"I will see them," he said, waving a hand at Hiei and Botan, encouraging them to come closer.

Hiei marched forwards, stopping once he was level with Inukasai, who was still down on one knee. Hiei remained standing and shook his head at Botan when she made to bow or kneel down. She reluctantly remained standing at his side, and he turned his attention back to the tribe leader, finding that his beady yellow eyes were still on the ferry girl.

"You need to stop propagating lies, old man," Hiei said sternly, his words proving enough to draw the old man's attention away from the girl. "Obviously you put your fat, filthy hands onto an ice maiden at some point, or else this slick bastard wouldn't be grovelling at your feet at this moment. So tell me: what was the name of the woman who you impregnated with your vile seed?"

The ferry girl muttered something about tact under her breath, but Hiei ignored her, keeping his attention on the tribe leader.

"You look like a child of the ice village to me, son," the leader said, sitting forwards and squinting his already squinty eyes at Hiei.

"Your skills of observation are as keen as ever, and no doubt one of the reasons you are in charge around here," Hiei sarcastically replied. "Now let's cut the plastic pleasantries and get to the point: give me the name of the woman you created this bastard with."

"You are quite an uptight little fellow, aren't you?" the leader replied, a smile growing on his wrinkled face. "And I believe you fancy yourself as rather humorous, too."

Hiei growled and Botan stepped forwards.

"Please Sir, we need to get to the bottom of this," she began. "There has been a misunderstanding–"

"I would like to get to your bottom, Miss," the leader cut her off.

The ferry girl gasped, one hand flying up to cover her mouth – whether as part of her expression of horror or because sharply inhaling the rancid air had made her want to vomit Hiei could not be sure – and she took a wary step back.

"Father, this is Hiei," Inukasai said. "Like me, he too is an emiko, you are correct. And that over there is Botan, a ferry girl of spirit world, and Hiei's partner."

"I see," the leader replied. "And I am Inuyusha, the leader of this tribe. Welcome to our village."

"Your village stinks," Hiei flatly replied.

"Please, be seated," Inuyusha said, holding out a hand towards a long sofa standing perpendicular to the one he was sat on.

"We're not here for a social call," Hiei corrected him.

He made to tell the fat old pervert exactly what he thought of him, but stopped when the sound of the ferry girl's stomach grumbling momentarily filled the room.

"Son, have my chef prepare breakfast and tea for our guests," Inuyusha said to Inukasai.

Inukasai stood up, glared at Hiei, then glared at Botan and then bowed to his father and left the room.

"Please, sit down, make yourselves comfortable," Inuyusha insisted, again indicating the sofa with an outstretched hand.

The ferry girl picked her way through an amalgam of broken wooden toys to the sofa, hesitating in front of it as though she was afraid to touch it. After her initial, brief hesitation, she bent over and began swiping a hand at the surface of the sofa as though dusting something from it. When Hiei noticed the appreciative way Inuyusha was watching her rear end, he quickly put an end to her pointless actions.

"Just sit down," he sternly said to her, walking over to her and pointing at the sofa.

She pulled a face that almost made her look like she might start crying hysterically, but she did do as he asked, sitting by the armrest nearest Inuyusha. Hiei sat down awkwardly at her side, her enormous bag still strapped to his back forcing him to sit near the edge and leaning forwards slightly.

"So Hiei," Inuyusha began. "Does your mother know you're romancing a ferry girl?"

"I'm not romancing her!" Hiei snapped irritably.

When Inukasai returned to the room with a tall, leggy and surprisingly attractive (if also heavily pregnant) dog demon at his side, Hiei qualified his response.

"She's my wife."

* * *

Botan froze, every part of her becoming so numb that she was no longer even able to smell the repulsive stench of damp, sweat, alcohol and rotting vegetable matter that permeated the air of Inuyusha's house.

"Your wife?"

Inukasai sounded almost a fraction as shocked as Botan felt: which was very shocked.

"Not that it's any of your concern, but yes, the ferry girl is my wife."

Botan slowly moved her eyes past Inukasai – who was standing at the other end of the room looking horrified – and his pregnant wife – who was standing at his side looking vacant – to Hiei, who was sitting at her side in what ought to be a very uncomfortable position, thanks to her bag hindering his comfort, looking quite pleased with himself.

"Well that explains a lot," Inukasai muttered. "A lot."

"Isn't this nice?" Inuyusha said. "It's like a family reunion!"

"How can you call this a family reunion?"

Botan turned abruptly to Hiei, finding that he looked as surprised as she felt that they had both said exactly the same thing at exactly the same time.

"I'm here with my son and my daughter-in-law," Inuyusha replied, apparently thinking that Botan and Hiei's question had been literal. "And Hiei is from the ice village, so surely he is a cousin of my son, which makes him my nephew really, and he's brought his lovely wife."

"We are not cousins, father," Inukasai said darkly.

"Hn, it seems we've finally found one thing we can agree upon," Hiei said.

"The ice maidens are very like us dog demons," Inuyusha began.

"No they are not," Hiei and Inukasai said in unison, before glaring at each other.

"Just like us, they only breed with their own," Inuyusha continued.

"That's not true!" Botan protested. "The ice maidens self-conceive! They become pregnant automatically! They don't breed with each other, like you do!"

There was a brief silence, during which the idea occurred to Botan that she ought not to have pointed out the blatant interbreeding that appeared to be a cultural norm for the dog demon tribe whilst sitting in the house of the tribe leader.

"The ice maidens breeding with each other?" Inuyusha said. "Now there's a delightful thought!"

"Father!" Inukasai yelped.

"Oh, relax, fire boy!" his wife said.

Botan shuffled back until her back collided with the backrest of the sofa, her face twisting as Inukasai's wife began ruffling his hair and jostling with him in the sort of way Kuwabara usually did to Yusuke when they were discussing their respective love interests. When Inukasai cowered over and let his wife rough him up, Botan started to turn to Hiei to ask him if what she was witnessing was in any way normal: but she stopped short when several more dog demons bustled into the room and began joining in slapping Inukasai on the back and messing up his hair.

"This is ridiculous," Hiei muttered.

"I agree," Botan said, nodding her head.

She pressed herself harder back against the sofa backrest as the bodies cramming into the room began to fall over each other. When Inukasai's pregnant wife ended up facedown on the floor, Botan turned to Inuyusha; surely he, as the leader of the group, would call them to order, she thought.

"You are a very precious thing, aren't you Miss Botan?" he said to her.

"I like having fun as much as the next girl, but this is ridiculous!" she retorted. "That carpet is ingrained with filth, at least one of those women is pregnant and you are entertaining guests: this is just blatant bad manners!"

"You know, for a ferry girl who is married to an emiko, you're very uptight," Inuyusha replied.

"I'm not uptight, you're just rude!" Botan yelled, leaping to her feet. "All of you are!"

The room fell silent and the mass of bodies stopped moving, but Botan's anger had beaten out her common sense and she continued.

"I couldn't understand why Inukasai was so pathetic, but now it makes perfect sense: he was raised by you animals! You behave worse than Kuwabara and his friends after a six-pack of beer and front row tickets to a Megallica concert! Anyone raised in this environment would really only have two options: become one of you loutish boors or become a snivelling slime-bag like Inukasai! And he did say you all singled him out because he's not a furry-eared, fang-toothed, smelly dog like the rest of you! He was probably alright before you lot got your hands on him and started bullying him and moulding him into the vile wretch he now is! The only thing worse than seeing what you've turned that emiko into is knowing that he's breeding with one of yours and continuing the trend!"

Botan stopped, her chest heaving, her body shaking and her eyes flashing as she glared around the room at the others. They all looked shocked, but she felt that was how they ought to feel. Their behaviour was shockingly inexcusable, and a part of her wanted to write it all down – every last detail of it – and submit it as a report to Koenma: if he really thought Inukasai was such a flawless example of a soul that had made an unheard of change, everything Botan had just witnessed was a clear explanation of why that appeared to be the case – even though it was not really – and the justification of why Koenma's "experiment" was such a terrible idea.

She could hardly imagine how poor Hiei would have fared being raised by such thoroughly disgusting animals.

"You really do have a big mouth."

Botan's ire started to fade as her eyes moved to the source of the voice addressing her. She had not even recognised the voice as being Inukasai's, as he sounded so different when he was angry. He hauled himself out from under his brethren and rose to his feet, looking at her in a way that oddly reminded her of the way Hiei had looked at Yusuke when the two had fought over the artefacts of darkness.

"You are the one with questionable manners here," he continued. "How dare you come into my home and insult and miscall my family?"

Botan once more forgot common sense and found herself arguing back with him in spite of her mounting apprehension.

"You're a fine one to talk!" she said. "You broke the laws of your own world, attacked a patrol unit, stole your way into the living world, barged your way into Kuwabara's house and filled poor Yukina's head full of lies and propaganda!"

"Propaganda?" Inukasai echoed.

"You fooled everyone there into thinking that you were a decent guy!"

"Hey!" Inukasai's wife protested, standing up at his side. "Are you saying my husband isn't a decent guy?"

"No he most certainly is not!" Botan replied.

"You're annoying and way too argumentative!" Inukasai's wife said, rolling her eyes.

"And you are a bitch!"

The room fell silent again, but Botan was still riding high on the adrenaline of her own emotions.

"She is a bitch!" she continued. "She is a female dog: she is a literal bitch!"

Inukasai's wife started to move towards Botan, who snapped back to her senses and screamed, leaping up onto the sofa. Inukasai held out his arm to halt his wife's progress and then drew out his sword. He took a step forwards but turned abruptly, barely managing to bring his sword around to stop Hiei's attack before Hiei's sword cut his throat. The two emikos paused, their swords pressed together, glaring at each other.

"Kill him, Inukasai!" one of the little dog demon girls shouted.

Botan made a noise of horrified disgust, but she quickly forgot about the little girl as Hiei and Inukasai began duelling with their swords. She barely had enough time to wonder which would prove to be faster before the dog demons all began piling onto Hiei. She tried yelling at them to stop, she summoned her oar and tried hitting them and prying them apart, but eventually she realised that there were simply too many of them and, once more, she forgot her own better judgement and threw herself into the fray.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Hiei and Botan discuss why they got married and Inukasai has a sympathetic change of heart and arranges for them to meet with his father alone, whereupon they learn the true identity of Inukasai's mother. **Chapter 7 – True Colours**

 **A/N:** Calling the leader of the dog demons Inuyusha was too good an opportunity to miss (I did briefly consider just calling him Inuyasha, but was worried it might make this look like a crossover fic). "Yusha" means "stalwart/determined", and so initially it was a coincidence that I came across the word Yusha to suffix the Inu with.

This story starts to get a bit weird in the next chapter, for a few reasons.


	7. True Colours

**Chapter 7 – True Colours**

Hiei had been in worse prisons, but he had never been in a smellier one. As he sat tucked up in the one corner of his cell still in the shade, trying to avoid the heat of the sun glaring in through the barred window far above his head, he was strangely relieved that he had fallen out with Mukuro, if only because it meant there was no way she could find out that he had ended up being imprisoned by the dog demon tribe.

It was not that he could not have fought them off – because he easily could have – it was simply that Inukasai was too valuable to kill. He needed to let the sneaky sleaze live just long enough for Mukuro to meet him and to make him admit to Yukina that he was not really her brother; after that, he was fair game, and Hiei would gladly slaughter him.

"You better not be crying over there," Hiei grumbled when he heard something that sounded like sniffling behind his head.

"Why did they have to take my bag?" Botan wailed.

By the tone of her voice, it was patently clear that she was crying. She had been deposited into the cell adjacent to Hiei's, and although he could not see her, he could easily hear her.

"What was in the bag?" he asked. "Surely nothing of any value."

"All my disguises, my blanket, my food rations, my tent, my poison-testing strips and my money."

Hiei turned to glare at the piece of wall behind him.

"You made me carry all that crap all this way?" he snapped.

"I needed it!" she cried. "It was to help me blend in here so that I could help you on your mission!"

"What mission?"

"The mission to find out who Inukasai's real mother is so that we can prove to everyone else that he can't be Yukina's brother!"

"Hn."

In his ire, Hiei had almost lost sight of the reason why he had gone to Inugoya in the first place. It would be wise to find out the identity of Inukasai's mother, if only because it appeared that even Inukasai himself thought that Hina was his mother, and finding the real answer was the best way to get him away from Yukina without Hiei having to tell her the truth about his own identity.

"Why did you tell them I was your wife?"

Hiei turned sharply from the wall, silently glad that the ferry girl had not seen his reluctance to even look at the wall she was behind, far less look her in the eye, after her asking the question she just had.

"His wife looked an awful lot like Inuyusha," she added. "I bet she's Inukasai's half-sister. I bet she married Inukasai because he was her most distant relative in the whole village. They all look like Inuyusha was their father."

"Inuyusha is the father of every member of the tribe," Hiei replied, glad that that subject of their conversation had changed.

"Really? That's repugnant!"

"If he's not the father of someone, he's at least their grandfather or uncle. That's what these singular tribes are like in demon world."

"Not really."

"What?"

"Not all singular tribes are like that. The ice maidens aren't like that. I can't believe Inuyusha tried to say that they were!"

"Maybe the ice maiden he bred with was Rui. It had to be one of the women with poor eyesight, at least."

"I know! And someone with no sense of smell, either!"

Hiei smiled and rested his back against the wall again. He was not really sure where he would be or how he would have dealt with Inukasai's invasion into his life had he been alone to endure it all, but having the ferry girl around did at least make the whole ordeal slightly more bearable; if only because she seemed to agree with him on a surprising number of issues.

"Everything you said, right before Inukasai threatened you," he said.

"I know, I have a big mouth and it's my fault we're in this mess," she replied.

"I wasn't going to say that," Hiei corrected her. "I was going to say that I agree with you."

"Oh."

Hiei felt that he had been very generous to admit as much to her. After all, he was an S-class demon and she was a flighty ferry girl.

"It's nice when a husband and wife can agree on things, don't you think?"

Hiei growled, any feeling of contentment he had been enjoying evaporating.

"So why did you tell them I was your wife?" she pressed. "You must have had a reason to tell such a lie."

"Don't concern yourself with it too much," Hiei replied. "I only said it to irritate Inukasai."

"I can't see how it would irritate him," Botan replied. "He hates me. If anything, he probably just feels sorry for you now, being stuck married to me…"

She sounded like she was starting to get tearful again. Hiei was grateful that she had put herself into the situation that she had to defend him in a way nobody else in his life had, and so he decided that he would tell her half of the truth behind why he had said what he had.

"I said it because it seemed like it would irritate him after I saw what his wife looked like," he admitted.

"She's very pretty," the ferry girl commented.

"Maybe so, but you have bigger breasts."

"What?"

Hiei rested his head back against the wall, looking up at the window. Judging by the angle of the sun and based on the time of day he had been thrown into the cell, the sun would eventually shine directly into the window, and the heat in the cell would be unbearable and unavoidable. He, as a fire demon, could handle it, but it would probably kill the ferry girl.

"Is that all I am to you, Hiei?" she yelled. "Just a pair of breasts? That better not be the only reason you married me!"

Hiei leaned his head forward, frowning as he considered what he had just heard.

"What else attracted you to me?"

Hiei bared his teeth and clenched his fists in frustration: maybe he was not so glad to have the ferry girl with him after all.

"We're not really married!" he snapped. "You do know that, right? Just because I said we were, doesn't mean that we are! That's not how it works here in demon world!"

"Yes, but you've told Inukasai that we are married, and unless you want to tell him that you are as big a liar about your loved ones as he is, you will have to maintain the lie. Credibly."

She had almost sounded as though she was issuing a threat.

"What are you implying?" he growled, glaring over his shoulder at the piece of wall he knew she was immediately on the other side of.

"We need to get our cover story straight," she replied. "In case he asks any questions. If we don't agree on the details, we might slip up and he'll know you've been lying."

"I don't care if he knows I'm a liar! Lying isn't so taboo here in demon world! In fact, it's common practise!"

"If he finds out you pretended to have a wife just because you were jealous of his pretty wife, he'll think you're pretty pathetic."

Hiei turned from the wall again, inwardly cursing Botan for somehow being able to understand everything that went on inside his head. How had she known that he resented Inukasai for his comfortable life, his devoted father and sexy young wife?

"Obviously we met through Yusuke, when you stole the shadow sword, and I was working as assistant to the spirit detective."

Hiei frowned, unsure what point the ferry girl was trying to make by stating the obvious.

"It wasn't love at first sight. At least, not for me it wasn't. What do you think Hiei? Was it love at first sight for you?"

Hiei briefly wished that he had let Inukasai kill him.

"What first attracted you to me?"

"Not your voice or your nagging, that's for sure!"

"Well we're not telling people you were drawn to me because of my bra size, Hiei!"

"I wasn't drawn to you because of anything! I only said you were my wife because you were there, they had already assumed that we were together and I didn't want to be–"

Hiei stopped himself abruptly before he said out loud the remainder of that thought: the last thing his already battered ego needed was the ferry girl hearing him admit that he wanted to be better than Inukasai at any costs, including by giving himself a fake wife.

"So what attracted you to me, Hiei?"

"I don't care."

Hiei sighed.

"You know Hiei, you're not really behaving like a very good husband right now," Botan said, her voice almost so quiet that it was as though she had been more thinking aloud than addressing him directly.

"It's not exactly something I've had any practice at or any inclination to be," Hiei moodily replied.

"So this is your first marriage?" the ferry girl asked, sounding almost cheerful about asking such a stupid question.

"Yes."

"Mine too!"

"How surprising."

"Actually, you're my first boyfriend, too."

"And you're my first girlfriend."

When the ferry girl said no more, Hiei started to wonder if he had said something remiss.

"Because you've had lots of girls. You're a serial dater. You've never gone steady with just one girl, so you say you've never had a girlfriend?"

Hiei quickly realised that there was no good way to answer her, and so he remained quiet.

"We really should figure out a cover story though," she pressed. "And I want it to romantic. Like on our first date we went for a walk on a road lined with blooming wisterias."

"We did that last night," Hiei pointed out. "You nearly died. There you go again, injecting romance into a situation that was anything but romantic."

"It's very important to me that our fake marriage is a romantic one, Hiei!"

Hiei sneered at the piece of wall the ferry girl was on the other side of. Why did she care how convincing or idyllic their fake marriage sounded to anyone else?

"This marriage has to be romantic and perfect because it's the only time I'll ever get married and get to have any romance in my life."

Hiei groaned and rolled his eyes.

"An idiot like you who actively pursues romance surely finds plenty of simpering fools to indulge your wishes," he said.

"Oh Hiei, you're so sweet," she replied, causing his sneer to warp into a grimace. "Only a true friend like you would compliment me by telling me I have men queuing up just to take me on a date."

"…I didn't say that…"

"But it's not true. It's really hard for me to find romance in my own life: that's why I'm so obsessed with watching it in other people's lives. It just never happens for me."

"Romance is seriously over-rated."

"Only someone who has enjoyed it would say something so flippant! Do you know how awful it is to never know love?"

Hiei looked over at the illuminated portion of his cell, silently wondering if sitting in it and cooking himself in the heat of the sun would kill him or not. The cell had clearly been designed to torture those inside as the sun heated up the rock walls and ultimately flooded the entire room. It would cause a slow, painful death, brought on by a combination of heat exhaustion, burning and dehydration. It was a form of torture that was slow and painful, but surely no more so than talking to the ferry girl about love and romance.

"How much money did you have in your bag?" he asked.

He was genuinely curious to know the answer and it seemed like a good way to change the subject without having to answer her questions about his love-life or give her advice on her own.

"Seventy-five hiruiseki."

Hiei was on his feet before she had even finished pronouncing the last syllable.

* * *

Botan dragged the backs of her hands over her cheeks to clear away the tears she had cried as she heard Hiei doing something in his cell that sounded like an escape attempt. She did not want him to know that she had been crying, and she was certain she had managed to keep the sounds of her sobs from her voice. She rose to her feet, fanning herself with her hands. The cell she had been forced into had a barred window set high in one wall, and the most glorious sunlight had been shining through it, illuminating one half of her cell. She had chosen to sit in the sun (the window was actually just a barred hole in the wall) as it had been pleasantly warm; but as she moved into the shaded half of her cell she started to think that maybe she had overdone sunning herself as her skin still felt hot. When her cell door clicked open she gladly pushed her way out of it, moving out into the corridor beyond where, unsurprisingly, she found Hiei waiting for her.

"How did you–"

Botan stopped herself, mid-question, as she realised that she was not looking at Hiei.

"What do you want?" she asked instead.

"I don't know about what I do want, but let me tell you something about what I do not want," Inukasai replied as he began unlocking Hiei's cell door. "I do not want trouble in my village and I do not want strife between myself and my dear sister's unusual choice of friends."

Botan narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips in what she hoped was a threatening glare.

"What's the matter with you?" Hiei asked her as he exited his cell. "You look gassy. Keep away from me."

Botan relaxed her expression.

"I've spoken with my father, on your behalf," Inukasai continued, turning to address Hiei. "He is, as always, unwilling to discuss my mother, but he has agreed to discuss with you what he knows about the ice maidens, which may be helpful for you."

"Even if I did need help with something, you are the last person I would accept any form of charity from," Hiei coldly replied. "Take your pity and shove it up–"

"Surely you want to find out about your own mother?"

Botan held her breath, silently wondering what Hiei would say next. She supposed then that perhaps Inukasai really did not know anything about Hiei, maybe he thought Hiei had never been to the ice village and knew nothing about his own past. Anything Hiei said next threatened to expose him in a way she knew he was unwilling to be shown: either he would have to admit that he knew his mother's identity, admit that he had been to the ice village already or he would have to act like he did not care about knowing anything about his mother or his past, which would make him look like an even bigger jerk than Inukasai.

"It's none of your business what Hiei does or doesn't do!" she intercepted.

"You really are incredibly annoying and interfering," Inukasai answered her.

"So are you!" Botan argued.

"Look, I know how it is to be what your husband is," Inukasai tightly replied. "I have been through the crisis of identity, the feeling of not belonging, the hatred and resentment of my mother for not fighting harder to save me from being thrown out of her home and the need for closure. I know why your husband is the way he is because I have been there myself. I was fortunate enough to have a good family who found me after I was cast out and who took good care of me. It would appear that Hiei was not as fortunate as I was. I am only trying to help."

"If you really wanted to help, you never would have come to the living world and poked your big beak into Yukina's life!"

"I am trying to do something good for your husband. As his wife, don't you care about his needs?"

Botan found herself at a rare loss for words. She tried not to look at Hiei, though she could feel him staring at her. She felt that the onus was on her to answer Inukasai somehow, but she had no idea what Hiei would want her to say.

"We'd like to speak to your father," she said slowly.

When she saw Hiei's eyes start to glow she quickly qualified her last remark.

"Alone this time though," she blurted out. "Not with all your family falling over themselves and filling up the room like we're at some sort of house party for teenage boys!"

To her surprise, Inukasai nodded solemnly.

"That is indeed a fair comment," he conceded. "I appreciate that my family can be a tad over-exuberant, particularly so to those unaccustomed to the mannerisms of a dog demon. I will ensure you can have a private meeting with my father."

"Okay…" Botan said, glancing at Hiei. "Well then thank you."

"Just one more thing before I do so," Inukasai said.

Botan sighed.

"I knew it," she grumbled. "You're about to go back on your word, like the cad that you are–"

"You need to keep your mouth shut," Inukasai interrupted her.

Botan gasped.

"Do not act so surprised," Inukasai flatly told her. "This is about Hiei, not you. Keep your mouth shut and let Hiei talk to my father in peace."

"You're treating me like I'm the one who's an interfering know-it-all with a hidden agenda!" Botan snapped.

Inukasai gave her a withering look before turning to Hiei.

"Perhaps you should meet with my father alone," he suggested. "I will take your wife to my house and hold her there until you are done."

"Yes, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Hiei replied, scowling up at Inukasai. "I'm not a fool and I know the way the minds of you dog demons work: I'm not leaving nubile, fertile wife at the mercy of a pack of rabid, uninhibited, randy mongrels. She comes with me."

Botan opened her mouth to comment on Hiei's last remark, but she stopped short when Hiei grabbed her hand in his and glared at Inukasai as though daring him to try to separate them. Botan was a little confused as to exactly why Hiei was insisting that she stay at his side, but as she had no desire to be left alone with Inukasai or any of the other dog demons, she stayed quiet on the matter. Hiei was clutching her hand a little too tightly for comfort and he was not even holding her hand in a normal way: he had simply grabbed his fingers around the back of her hand, compressing all of her fingers – including her thumb – in his clawed grip.

It was the sort of way someone who knew absolutely nothing about how to hold hands with someone else might attempt to hold hands if they were instructed to do so.

"I suppose that is also fair," Inukasai said, his face twitching in a way that implied he thought it was anything but fair. "A ferry girl in demon world is likely to arouse interest amongst the men; though you should know that the minute she opens her mouth, she loses any shred of sex appeal she may have otherwise possessed."

Botan tried to ignore just how insulting Inukasai's last words were. She was almost sure that he did not actually know how badly it hurt her to hear someone tell her just what he had, but she did not trust him enough to be sure, and she refused to let him think that he had gotten to her.

"You're the one who needs to shut your mouth," Hiei growled at Inukasai. "Talk like that about my wife again and you'll wish the worst form of torture I could think of is locking you in a cell that bakes you in the heat of the sun."

Botan turned to Hiei, smiling in spite of herself. Yusuke was so right about Hiei: he was always there to save his friends at exactly the moment that they needed him the most. Just when she had been pushed to the point of wanting to cry, Hiei had rushed in to save her honour.

"Take us to your father, leave us there, and never show your face around me – or my wife – again," Hiei added, giving Inukasai one of his trademark death glares.

"Gladly," Inukasai replied. "I can only hope that you will return the favour and I will never have to see you or your wife around me or any of my family again."

He turned and started to walk away. Hiei followed after him, forcing Botan to join him as he was still gripping her hand in his. She struggled to match her pace to his, but quickly did so to avoid being dragged by her hand in either direction.

"And that includes Yukina and Mister Kuwabara."

Hiei – probably in anger and shock at Inukasai's words, Botan thought – tightened his grip on Botan's hand to the point that she hissed and broke out in a sweat. She glanced down at him and saw him staring at the back of Inukasai's head as though he was plotting ways to murder him; but still he maintained his renewed and painful grip on her hand. She moved her free hand over to his and began trying to pry his fingers apart, something that, logically, she knew she was not nearly strong enough to do. However he appeared to understand what she was doing as he shortly slackened his grip. He cast her a brief, irritated, look and then released her hand completely. After a sigh of relief, Botan slid her hand into his, knitting her fingers through his and then touching her other hand to the back of his hand.

Botan frowned slightly when Hiei stumbled, as though something had tripped him, despite the floor being flat and even. His face took on a strange expression – much like the one he had worn when she had spoken with him by the riverbank in the living world – and he started moving his eyes between their joined hands and Botan's face. Botan thought that perhaps he looked a little nervous and so she offered him a reassuring smile, which made his eyes stop on her face and his expression neutralise. She faltered slightly when he moved his free hand over and pressed it against the back of her hand the same way she was doing with his; it was a little awkward walking alongside someone whilst trying to keep both of her hands on both of his, but she knew that Hiei needed her support right then and so she did not argue.

And, Botan thought, there was something quite pleasant about being with someone who not only wanted to hold hands with her, but also wanted to be seen by other people holding hands with her.

As they crossed the village centre, Botan noticed that this time – unlike upon their arrival in the village that morning – everyone they passed stopped and stared. She supposed they were staring because they had seen her and Hiei being arrested and detained, they were curious as to where they were being taken, if they were being released, what they would do next; but Botan could not suppress the small part of her that felt that everyone was looking because they were surprised to see her holding hands with someone. It was a niggling little insecurity that had plagued Botan for many years, only worsened in her home of spirit world because most of the residents there knew about it and were unsympathetic about it, and since Hiei had declared that she was his wife, she had been forced to confront it all over again.

She hated the fact that she was the romantic obsessive that Hiei accused her of being and yet her own life had always been devoid of anything even remotely romantic, forcing her to indulge her need for romance vicariously through her friends.

Botan began fretting about how the dog demons were judging her, what they must be thinking to see Hiei holding onto her, her panic becoming so irrational that she was actually glad when they once more entered Inuyusha's stinky, dirty, unkempt house.

"Father, I have brought back Hiei and Botan," Inukasai announced as they entered the room his father was still sitting in. "I understand that the way they behaved earlier was unacceptable, but I feel I must ask you to reconsider meeting with them. As Hiei is an emiko, just like me, I know his need for closure, and I implore you to impart unto him anything of value you may know about the ice maidens and their glacial home."

"My son, I cannot have violent troublemakers in my community," Inuyusha solemnly replied. "I have a duty to do what is best for my people, and allowing these two to remain here is not a safe option."

Botan prepared herself to leave, feeling that there was no hope of getting any answers from anyone in Inugoya, and it was probably best to go then before Inuyusha or Inukasai found a reason to send her and Hiei back to the village prison.

"Did you not once make exactly that decision before?" Inukasai said.

Botan hesitated, silently wondering what he meant.

"You took a powerful, violent troublemaker into this community once before, father," he continued. "And, even though nobody else in the village wanted him there, even though everybody else feared him, you welcomed him and you showed us all that he could be a valuable member of this community and a man of honour. You have let me stay here for my entire life, can you not allow one of my kin to stay here just long enough to help him on his own quest? I have been very fortunate to have a family here and to have successfully found out the truth about my mother and my sister: I believe that even Hiei deserves that same opportunity."

"Why would you think such a thing, my son?" Inuyusha asked.

"Because that is what you taught me, father," Inukasai replied. "You taught me that even a violent, angry, uncivilised wretch deserves a second chance."

Inuyusha nodded and Inukasai bowed his head.

"Thank you father," he said.

He turned and nodded at Hiei, eyed Botan over disdainfully and then left the room. Botan watched him go, realising that it had obviously been difficult for him to do what he had, for him to side with Hiei after everything that had happened between them, and yet he had still done it because he believed it was the right thing to do, because he believed in standing by a fellow emiko.

She was torn between thinking it was all just a part of another sneaky plot to ruin Hiei's life and considering that, in her zeal to protect the interests of her own friends, she may have misjudged Inukasai entirely.

"Be seated."

Botan snapped back to attention as Hiei started towards the sofa by Inuyusha and she was dragged along with him, as they were still holding each other's hands. They sat down beside each other, with Botan nearest the armrest and therefore in between Hiei and Inuyusha. She saw the leader of the dog demons look down at their hands for a long moment before moving his eyes to Hiei.

"My experience of the ice maidens is not something I discuss with anyone," he said. "Not even my own son. I cannot even tell you where the ice village is: I swore to my lover that I would never reveal such information."

"Oh my goodness!" Botan gasped.

She felt Hiei glaring at her as though warning her not to interrupt, but after the epiphany she had just had, she could not stop herself.

"You didn't tell Inukasai where the ice village is or which of the ice maidens was his mother because you were keeping your promise to her!" she continued. "You pretended that it hurt too much to talk about it, but truthfully you were just hiding the information because you were bound to by the agreement you made with Inukasai's mother!"

"Your verbose wife is correct, Hiei," Inuyusha said to Hiei. "As an infant, my son was violent and vicious – as you too no doubt were – and cared not about his heritage. It was only as he matured, as he learned to control his temper and as he learned to appreciate the importance of family the same way we all do here in Inugoya that he began to ask questions about his mother. I told him his mother was an ice maiden, but I told him no more. He was persistent, but I refused to divulge the information. I did not want him to know the truth. I did not want him to go back to the ice village. I was sure the ice maidens, when they discovered that they had not successfully killed Inukasai on their first attempt when they threw him off the cliff, would finish him off if he returned there. And if I must tell you anything today Hiei, it is simply that: the ice maidens are not what they seem and are not to be trusted. If you value your life, stay away from them. Be thankful that they cast you out, your life has surely only been the better for it."

"So all that crap your son said about you truly loving his mother and being broken hearted that she didn't escape the glacial village to come and live here with you is just a fabricated lie you fed to your son to appease his need for knowledge?" Hiei asked.

"I loved Inukasai's mother as much as I love any of my other wives."

"Urgh!" Botan muttered involuntarily.

"And I believe that, as far as she was able to, she loved me back," Inuyusha continued, unhindered by Botan's outburst. "When she first realised that she was pregnant with my child she was pleased about it: but she always wanted to birth him in her home, which I respected. She went back there after telling me the news, and we were supposed to meet weekly thereafter, but I never saw her again. She went back there, told the others the truth about her pregnancy, and they convinced her that her son was something evil and that she was dirty for carrying him. My lover was one of but a few ice maidens who was not corrupted by the rot that infests that village, but alas she was not strong enough to overcome them when they took her son from her. I was sure that they would have taken her daughter too, and raised her to be as cold and judgemental as they are; and so I am glad that Yukina is not that way."

Botan's face dropped.

"You-you knew that Inukasai's sister is called Yukina?" she asked. "I mean, before he found her, you knew her name was Yukina?"

"Yes, I did," Inuyusha replied. "I did not tell my son because I did not want him to get his hopes up of finding her and of her being receptive to meeting with him. I am so glad she has grown up to be like her mother. And now that I can see that, I am glad that Inukasai found her. She will be welcome in Inugoya at any time. I look forward to meeting her, in fact. She ought to look just like her mother, after all."

"If you lay a single finger on Yukina, I will kill you," Hiei warned.

Botan turned to him, wondering why he had said what he had, but as her eyes passed over the mess of wooden toys around the floor of the room they were in, she remembered then what Hiei had told her about the breeding habits of the dog demons.

"You dirty, disgusting old man!" she yelled, rounding on Inuyusha again. "How dare you fantasise about your son's sister?"

"She's my son's sister," he replied.

Botan started to relax, assuming that he was about to tell her that she had misunderstood him.

"I am not her father," he continued. "Not that that would stop me anyway, but her mother gave me a wonderful son, I am sure she could do the same for me."

"You're an animal!" Botan roared, her anger flaring again.

"If you so much as look at Yukina in a lustful way, I will burn your entire village to the ground," Hiei added.

"And if Hiei doesn't get to you, Kuwabara certainly will!" Botan pointed out.

"Yes, my son did tell me Yukina has a lover named Kuwabara," Inuyusha said. "But Yukina, as Inukasai's sister, is a part of my family, and as such, she should honour our customs."

"Incest is not a custom that can ever be honourable!" Botan snapped. "You make me sick! Tell us something useful or I will cut off a part of your body that will make sure you never fornicate with another family member again!"

Inuyusha eyed Botan over before moving his eyes to Hiei and smiling in a way that made Botan feel more ill than irate.

"She is a feisty one," he commented. "I bet she's a real hellcat in the bedroom."

Botan gasped in horror.

"You couldn't handle my wife in the bedroom, old man," Hiei flatly replied. "Now do as she asked: tell us something useful or suffer the consequences."

Botan felt her face suddenly hot and she hoped it was just because she had sat in the sun for too long whilst she had been in the prison cell and that it was not an outward expression of just how embarrassing Hiei's words had been to listen to and the fact that she was battling inside her mind to suppress the image of herself in a bedroom with Hiei.

"I have never heard of you before today, Hiei," Inuyusha said. "This may surprise you, but the subject of the emikos is not one the ice maidens readily talk to anyone about. They do not even really talk about it amongst their own ranks other than to tell high-level horror stories about how an emiko is born to young girls in the hope of scaring them out of ever conceiving such a child. My lover mentioned that our child would be an emiko and that others had been born into her village before, and even what the fate of an emiko born to the glacial village always was: but she never told me the names of any known, surviving emikos or the names of the women who had birthed them. The best I can offer is to give you an approximate location of the ice village."

"That won't be necessary," Hiei said.

He released Botan's hands and stood up, looking agitated and vaguely disappointed. Sensing his negativity and the need to gain at least some piece of valuable information before leaving Inugoya empty-handed, Botan spoke up.

"Alright Inuyusha, if you can't tell us anything about Hiei or any of the other emikos, tell us about your own son," she said.

Hiei turned to her, giving her a strange look that suggested he wanted her to stop talking, but she continued regardless: she knew Hiei was too proud to ask for help but she also knew that he desperately needed her help right then.

"Tell us how you knew that Inukasai's sister was named Yukina," she continued.

"My lover told me she would name her daughter Yukina," Inuyusha replied. "She told me that before we even bedded each other. She spoke about how she was close to the age where she would have her own child and that she wanted to name the child Yukina."

Botan slowly turned back to Hiei, finding his eyes on Inuyusha, his expression softened and vaguely concerned.

"What was your lover's name?" Hiei asked quietly.

Botan could not stop the noise of surprise that escaped her throat when Inuyusha answered.

"Her name was Hina."

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Botan worries about getting hit by a bus, Inukasai advises Hiei to get a divorce, Hiei and Botan talk about having children, and Hiei and Botan make plans to travel to their next destination. **Chapter 8 – Parental Anomalies**


	8. Parental Anomalies

**Chapter 8 – Parental Anomalies**

Hiei tried to reason that the ugly old dog demon before him had only said the name Hina because that was the name Inukasai had brought back from his visit to the ice village. The fat mongrel was probably senile, and had taken so many lovers, it was highly likely he could not remember all their names. The ice maiden he had bedded had probably given Hina's name as a cover, too ashamed to reveal her own name to him lest he spread the word that his repulsive body had been the one and only she had found so irresistible that she had forgotten the consequences of doing so and gone ahead and copulated with him.

"A-are you sure about that?" the ferry girl asked.

"Yes, I am," Inuyusha replied. "How could I forget such a lovely name?"

"Well, you are quite old, and more than a tad inbred and eccentric…" the ferry girl brazenly muttered.

"I know her name was Hina and Inukasai confirmed it when he visited the ice village and was told the same thing," Inuyusha replied with more than a hint of irritation in his voice. "If you do not trust this old man to remember correctly, surely you at least trust that the ice maidens know which of their own birthed an emiko? After all, the birth of an emiko is a rare and important incident, and as there were only eight emikos born to the ice village, they could hardly forget the details of so few occurrences."

Hiei stepped closer to Inuyusha, his interest suddenly renewed in the nonsense the old man was spouting.

"Eight?" he said.

"Yes, I noticed that too!" the ferry girl jumped in, moving around in her seat to fully face Inuyusha. "You said there were only eight emikos ever born: how did you know that?"

"When my love and I discussed what our child would be like, she told me then that there had been seven others before," Inuyusha replied.

Hiei really, really wished that the odious, old and odorous dog demon would cease referring to his mother as his lover.

"One of those seven must have been you, Hiei."

Hiei growled and bared his teeth – something he knew was a wasted gesture against a dog demon, who could exercise the threat far more effectively – as his ire rose at once more meeting someone who thought he was older than Inukasai. It was not that he was vain and cared about his physical appearance or how youthful he looked, but it did really bother him that looking good and looking youthful was just yet another thing that Inukasai was better at than he was.

Hiei knew that it was illogical to get angry about such a thing: after all, Inukasai was clearly not as fast, not as strong nor even as skilled a warrior as Hiei was, and that alone – by demon world standards at least – made Hiei more important. Inukasai lived a relatively humble existence in a filthy village of dirty and weak demons with low sexual morals, whilst Hiei was second-in-command to Mukuro, a former king of demon world. Inukasai's wife was relatively weak and only strikingly attractive when compared to the other residents of Inugoya, and she was most likely his half-sister (her father was surely Inuyusha and her mother was probably also one of Inuyusha's daughters).

Still, whether she was the child of her husband's father and her own sister or not, she was still Inukasai's wife, and she was definitely pregnant; Hiei wondered if he ought to mention the oddity of that to Inukasai or just wait until the child was born and let the phony see the problem for himself.

"So there must have been nine emikos born by now," the ferry girl said. "At least."

Inuyusha frowned at her and she appeared to be annoyed by his response.

"Well clearly there is, because Hiei is a lot younger than Inukasai!" she snapped. "Maybe seven were born before Inukasai – who was number eight – but Hiei was born after Inukasai, which makes him number nine. Or ten. Or eleven. Or twelve. Or–"

" We get the point!" Hiei snapped.

The ferry girl stopped, though she gave him a look that implied that she wanted to continue.

"My son is only in his seventy-ninth year," Inuyusha said.

"In that case he's a whole quarter of a century older than Hiei, you blind old fool!" Botan yelled.

She was almost foaming at the mouth: for Hiei it was simultaneously embarrassing to be associated with her and strangely reassuring that someone else felt exactly the same way he did and was unafraid of how foolish she looked openly expressing it.

"My mistake," Inuyusha said to Hiei. "Perhaps you were emiko number nine then."

"Hn, of course I was."

Hiei turned his back on Botan and Inuyusha. Learning that creep was lucky number eight and he was unlucky number nine was almost laughable, and so appropriate it just had to be true. After all, the number eight meant prosperous and the number nine meant suffering. How typical.

"I am sorry I cannott tell you any more," Inuyusha offered.

"Are you sorry because you don't know anything more to tell us, or are you sorry because you feel guilty about all the other information you're hiding from us?" the ferry girl responded.

Hiei looked back over his shoulder to find her up on her knees, her hands supporting her weight against the arm of the sofa and her body leaning over the edge towards Inuyusha. She was glaring at him in a way she often did with Yusuke when she was nagging him about something, and the look might have had some effect were it not for the wood elf outfit she was still wearing, which, in her current position, was affording the pervert old leader of the dog demon tribe an almost dangerously explicit view down her top.

"Let's go, Botan," Hiei said.

"I think he's hiding something, Hiei!" she replied, leaning closer still to Inuyusha, who's eyes had lowered to her chest.

"I mean it, let's go!" Hiei said sternly.

"The least you can do is tell us everything you know!" she said to Inuyusha.

"Well I can see why Hiei married you," Inuyusha replied, smiling lecherously.

"What?" she echoed.

Hiei leapt forwards and grabbed one of Botan's arms, dragging her from the sofa. She yelped and stumbled after him, saying something about him being too rough, but he was sure that his dragging her by her arm was a more agreeable experience than the alternative that would have taken place had he left her thrusting her chest into the face of an old man who had been about to grab at what she appeared to be offering him.

"We're leaving," Hiei told her.

"They still have my bag!" she protested.

Hiei did not especially want to carry a bag full of crap from spirit world anywhere, least of all back down the mountain path, but she had said that the bag contained seventy-five hirui stones, and that was practically enough to buy a village the size of Inugoya, and the bandit in Hiei could not resist the temptation to take it back.

"Give my wife back her bag," he told Inuyusha. "And you better not have taken anything from it."

"It's over there somewhere, please, take it," Inuyusha replied, waving a hand at one corner of the room,

Hiei marched over – inadvertently dragging Botan with him as he had forgotten to let go of her arm – to a pile of linen, releasing Botan once he reached his destination and crouching down to claw through the piles of stained sheets. He quickly uncovered the giant bag, dragging it out from under all the other rubbish – which, he noticed, had accumulated there in a matter of hours – and the first thing he noticed was the clumsy way the bag had been rifled through, the zip not even fully closed again to hide the evidence.

"You went through my things!" Botan cried, glaring across the room at Inuyusha.

Hiei quickly located the velvet drawstring bag full of hiruiseki, sitting down on the floor and emptying the contents onto his thighs. As he quickly counted the stones, returning them to the bag as he did so, the ferry girl knelt down at his side and began checking the contents of her bag, her breathing increasing as she did so. As Hiei reached the seventy-fifth stone and released a sigh of relief, the ferry girl shot to her feet and spun around to face Inuyusha again.

"Where is all my underwear?" she demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Inuyusha replied.

"All my underwear is gone!" she ranted. "I had four bras and several pairs of panties in that bag and now they're all gone! Where are they?"

Inuyusha started to make up a pathetic excuse for why he had taken the girl's underwear that did not involve him being a filthy old pervert, but Hiei could not be bothered to listen to it. He stuffed the sack of money back into the bag and closed it over, securing the bag over his back as he had on his way to Inugoya.

"Forget about it," he said to Botan.

"How can I forget about it?" she cried, turning her irate face to him. "I now don't have a clean change of underwear! What if I get hit by a bus?"

Hiei frowned.

"Then you'll die," he said.

"Yes!" she said. "That's right! I'll die!"

"I don't see how a fresh pair of panties would change that," Hiei said.

"I don't want to die in dirty underwear, Hiei!" she wailed. "When they take my dead body to the hospital and they check to confirm my death, they'll see the sweat stains on my underwear! I can't die that way, Hiei, I can't!"

Hiei tried to give her the most condescending look he possibly could, but the effort was ineffective as she lost none of her vigour.

"Give me back my underwear!" she yelled at Inuyusha.

"You know young lady, I believe you have misunderstood the old saying about not wanting to get hit by a bus," he replied. "The correct sentiment is that you do not wish to be hospitalised – just hospitalised, not killed – whilst wearing mismatching underwear. It matters not if the underwear is not clean."

"Of course you would say that, the last time you put on clean underwear the dinosaurs were still parading around the living world!" Botan replied.

"The point is, your underwear just has to match," Inuyusha insisted. "Now when you were over here pushing yourself at me I could see that you are currently wearing a pink bra with a frilly trim, so we just need to check that your panties are also like that and you should be just fine."

Botan started to yell back at him but her words dissolved into a scream of fear and she almost leapt into Hiei's arms as Inuyusha stood up.

"Stay away from me you dirty old man!" she yelped.

Inuyusha grinned and Hiei felt his stomach churn again.

"You take one step closer to my wife and I'll make you suffer in ways you never imagined possible," Hiei warned him.

Inuyusha sighed and sat back down; though he did not appear at all afraid of Hiei carrying out his threat.

"Good luck on your journey, Hiei," he said instead. "I hope you find the answers you seek."

Hiei sneered at Inuyusha and then turned his attention to Botan.

"Let's go," he said to her.

"Right," she agreed.

Hiei took one last look over at the disgusting disgrace that had somehow managed to seduce an ice maiden before gladly taking his leave.

* * *

As they moved through the village of the dog demons, Botan eyed the lines of airing laundry suspiciously, half-expecting to see one of her bras pinned to one of the lines. Her already generally negative opinion of the dog demons had been thoroughly cemented after Inuyusha's heinous act of taking a ferry girl's underwear. She now fully understood why Inukasai was such a slimy, passive-aggressive creep: growing up in a village of unhygienic, inbred, lecherous beasts had surely made him the way he was.

Maybe this was yet another argument in favour of the nature versus nurture argument Koenma had spoken of, she thought darkly. Maybe she should write a report about it all. She felt that she ought to at least write down what had happened so far, if only because she doubted even she would believe it all afterwards.

As she and Hiei neared the periphery of the village and Inukasai stepped into their path, Botan had to bite back the urge to tell him how much she really hated him and everything about his life.

"Before you go, there is just one thing I would like to say to you, if you would be so kind as to spare me a moment of your time."

Botan and Hiei both stopped walking and Botan folded her arms and glared at Inukasai.

"Make it quick, I've wasted enough of my time in this place," Hiei replied. "And I'll need a few hours to scrub out the stench of this village from my being once I'm gone, so I have to factor that into my plans too."

Inukasai smiled tightly.

"Hiei, I know what you are going through," he said. "I understand your ire, your frustration and your need for answers. I can help you."

"You can't even help yourself!" Botan snapped.

Inukasai gave her a long look. A long, uncomfortable look. She started to feel her anger turn into concern and a hint of apprehension.

"I know that demon world as a whole – not just the ice village – would have you believe that being an emiko makes you something lesser than everyone else in this world," Inukasai said as he finally moved his attention back to Hiei. "But it does not have to be that way. You can be whatever you want to be, you do not have to compromise. I have a life far away from the one the elders of the ice village condemned me to when they cast me out, and you can too. Hiei, I have to be honest with you: I believe that you can be better than you are right now, you are just not trying very hard. For example, look at your wife: she is a mouthy, obnoxious nag, she holds one of the lowest-ranking positions in spirit world and she is an affront to you and everything you could be."

Botan wanted to be offended by Inukasai's cutting words, but she was mostly just distraught by them.

"Send her away – surely she has human souls she ought to be collecting anyway – and let me come with you on your quest," he continued. "I know where the ice village is, and though it is far from here, the two of us, with our speed and endurance, could reach it within a day. Your wife will slow you down and she most definitely will not be welcomed into the ice village – not that I am saying we will be, but at least we are strong enough not to be overcome by the cold – and I know which of the ice maidens will talk and which ones will not. I can help you find your mother, Hiei, but I cannot give you much of my time, not when my wife is so close to giving birth. If it is just you and me it will be fine, but I have neither the time nor the patience to waste dragging your burden of a wife with us."

"You know nothing of my plans or where I am going," Hiei quietly replied. "Take your misplaced pity and direct it somewhere it's truly required: like at your own miserable life."

"I appreciate that you are angry, Hiei, but–"

"And don't ever call my wife a burden again. If you want to know what the definition of the word burden is, stick around here and watch closely to the sort of child your wife gives you."

Hiei grabbed Botan's hand – though she noticed that this time he did at least grab the underside of her hand in a way that was almost the correct way to hold hands with someone – and straightened his back.

"I would kill you, but you will suffer more if I let you continue with this charade you call a life," he said. "Now get out of my way."

Hiei started to walk around Inukasai and Botan was forced to follow him as he was still clutching her hand in his. She stumbled after him, sticking out her tongue at Inukasai as she passed him. She watched him over her shoulder, seeing that he turned on the spot and stood alone at the edge of the village, watching them go with an almost forlorn look on his face. When the path beneath her feet became rocky and uneven, Botan turned her attention forwards again, concentrating on where she was putting her feet.

"How long will it really take us to get to the ice village, Hiei?" she asked as they walked.

When Hiei did not answer her after several moments of stumbling over the uneven path and trying to ignore the sheer drop at her side, Botan glanced at Hiei, finding him watching her from the corner of his eye, looking deeply unimpressed.

"I can fly," she offered. "I'll tie my bag to my oar so you don't have to carry it. I'm much faster when I fly, you know that. I bet we could still make it there within a day."

Botan hoped that they could still make it to the ice village within a day. The sky overhead told her it was evening already and it would soon be dark, marking the end of Saturday. Assuming they set up camp somewhere in the mountains and set out the next morning, they would probably not arrive at the ice village until some time on Monday, and by the time they had rested and then visited the ice maidens, it might be into Tuesday, and that left little time to report back to Yukina and Inukasai that the two could not possibly be related before Botan would be obliged to return to spirit world.

"We're not actually going to the ice village, you idiot," Hiei growled in a low voice.

"You said we were!" Botan replied. "And don't call me an idiot, it's not proper for a husband to speak to his wife that way!"

"We're not actually husband and wife!" Hiei snapped.

"But we're pretending to be, and if you don't maintain the act, Inukasai will see through it!" Botan argued.

"We've left Inugoya, Inukasai isn't around any more, we don't have to pretend anything now!"

"Oh really?"

"Yes really, so stop calling me your husband!"

"If we're not pretending any more why are you still holding my hand?"

Hiei stopped walking so abruptly Botan only realised that he had stopped when she was jarred to a halt as her hand caught on his. She turned around, a few steps further down the path, her left arm outstretched towards Hiei, whose right arm was outstretched towards her, their hands suspended in the air between them, still locked together. Botan purposefully looked down at their hands before looking up at Hiei expectantly, finding him looking at her with that strange look on his face again.

"Are you okay, Hiei?" she asked.

He did not look okay, but he rapidly shook his head, literally shaking his expression off and gaining a look of irritation.

"Inukasai was right about one thing," he said. "Shouldn't you be back in spirit world collecting dead humans for Koenma?"

"I'm not leaving until we fix this mess, Hiei!" she replied.

"There is no fixing this mess, ferry girl."

"Yes there is! Don't you remember why we came here in the first place?"

"Yes, I do. We came here because you failed to bring me any useful information from spirit world."

"That wasn't why! We came here because we need to find proof that Inukasai isn't Hina's son and he isn't Yukina's brother! Those dogs weren't any help, but it seems like we might be able to get proof from the ice village, so let's stop arguing and let's get moving!"

Botan yelped involuntarily as Hiei yanked back on her hand, forcing her to stagger two steps closer to him, her feet barely managing to stop before they stood on his.

"We are not going to the ice village, woman," he said, his voice low as though as he was afraid someone might overhear his words. "I am taking you back to the nearest portal to the living world, and you are going home."

"But Hiei, what about Yukina?" Botan asked. "You can't just let her carry on thinking that faker is her brother! He has to be stopped!"

Hiei sighed and, as he had not argued her point, Botan decided to push her luck a little further.

"We should go to the ice village and see what we can find out about the other emikos born," she said. "Now that we know Inukasai is seventy-eight years old and we know that he was the eighth emiko born, we can use that information to find out which one of the ice maidens is his real mother."

"Inukasai's real mother is most likely dead," Hiei flatly replied.

"But if we can get her name, that's all we need!" Botan insisted. "Just something so that we can prove that Hina was not his mother as he currently thinks!"

Hiei glanced over the edge of the path and Botan briefly worried that he was considering hurling her over the edge in his frustration.

"Inuyusha said the ice maiden he fornicated with was called Hina."

Hiei's eyes were still looking out over the edge of the path and his voice had been barely audible, leaving Botan wondering why he had even said what he had.

"You don't think…?" she asked, unable to actually finish the question, though knowing by the look on Hiei's face that she did not need to.

"I don't know what to think right now," he grumbled. "And you're nagging isn't helping that…"

"But Hiei, you know Hina is your mother," Botan insisted. "That's what they told you when you went to the ice village, wasn't it?"

Hiei slowly met Botan's eyes, the look on his face making her suddenly very afraid.

"How do I know the ice maiden I spoke to didn't think I was Inukasai when I went to the ice village?" he asked.

"Because any idiot can see that you're not!" Botan replied.

"Mukuro couldn't even tell us apart," Hiei said, sounding suddenly sad. "It doesn't matter what an emiko's mother or father look like or what sort of demon his father is, we all end up looking like I do. That's one thing I learned in the ice village. We all look like me. And Inukasai."

"But Inukasai only looks like you on a superficial level! Just because he has the same colouring as you, the same hairstyle and – rather oddly – the same fashion sense, doesn't make him identical to you!"

"No, it doesn't. He turned into someone Yukina is happy to have as her brother."

"That's not what I meant!"

"Hn."

Hiei closed his eyes and smiled.

"You know ferry girl, you're the only person who seems to think Inukasai and I are not identical," he said.

"But you're not!" Botan insisted. "You know you're not!"

Hiei opened his eyes again and again Botan found the look on his face unsettling.

"I obviously can't see what you can," he said quietly.

"Well, trust me, you're not identical!" Botan said.

"Right," Hiei said with a nod of his head. "I'm the same height as the grill and Inukasai can clearly see over the top of it."

"I… I don't know what that means, but Hiei, we have to fight this!"

"Do you have another brilliant plan?"

"Yes, I do!"

"Is it as brilliant as you plan that took us to the fetid village of Inugoya and saw us waste a day in bad company and mostly in a prison cell?"

Botan pouted at Hiei but he remained impassive and so she pressed on.

"We go to the ice village," she began. "And there we–"

"At the speed you move at, it will take us days to get there," Hiei cut her off. "And we won't learn anything new there. You don't know what the ice maidens are like. You're wasting your time and mine."

"It's not a waste of time if we fix this! You said yourself that you learned some things about yourself when you went there, maybe if we talk to different people or ask different questions we can find out something new!"

"I learned three things about myself when I was there."

"Well there you go: three things isn't a lot, surely we can learn more!"

"I learned that all emikos look the same."

"Not exactly the same."

"I learned that I'm a bastard."

"That's not true."

"A literal bastard."

"Well… That is a little harsh, but I suppose it's true…"

"And I learned that I'm infertile."

Botan opened her mouth, though she could not be sure if it was because she had been about to say something or if it was just an expression of her shock at Hiei's last statement. He released her hand and continued down the mountain path, but she remained where she was for some time as she tried to fathom what he had just said. It seemed very odd that such a subject would have been raised when he had visited the ice village and she wondered who had brought it up: Hiei or the ice maidens. She had never thought of Hiei being a father or even wanting to be a father, but maybe part of his anger and insecurities were related to the fact that he could never have his own children.

"Hey, wait a minute!" she said, turning around and summoning her oar. "Hiei!"

She leapt onto her oar and raced after him, slowly as she reached his side, but remaining on her oar.

"How would the ice maidens know that about you?" she asked. "They can't know that about you!"

"It's the one saving grace of the evil emikos: they can't procreate," Hiei flatly replied, keeping his head forward and never breaking stride as he spoke.

"Well that makes even less sense if it doesn't just apply to you!" Botan argued. "If it applies to all emikos, it would apply to Inukasai, but obviously he's not infertile because his wife is pregnant!"

"His wife is pregnant because she rutted with his father," Hiei replied.

"What?" Botan yelped.

"She was impregnated by Inukasai's father," Hiei repeated. "Who is also her father. And her uncle."

"Urgh!"

Botan struggled to stay airborne as she tried to picture the tangled mess that Inukasai's family tree must look like. As the reached the identity of his wife's unborn child, another idea occurred to her.

"But back in the village, you said the child his wife was having would be a burden for him," she pointed out. "I thought you were saying that because you meant that it would be born emiko or part emiko."

"No, that's not what I meant," Hiei replied. "I meant that the baby will be born one hundred percent dog demon, and as the kid matures it will become increasingly apparent that it bears no resemblance to Inukasai."

"I see… Still, there is just one more thing I don't understand."

"There's nothing difficult about it. He's infertile and she's a dirty whore."

"Maybe she deliberately got pregnant by someone else so as not to hurt his feelings by letting him find out that he couldn't father children of his own."

Hiei turned to glare at Botan in a way that made her instinctively swerve away from him, flying over the steep drop rather than the path so that she was both beyond arm (and sword) length from him and in a position that was too dangerous for him to attempt jumping at her.

"You're not helping," he warned her.

"I'm sorry, I only said it because it was the sort of thing I might have done were I in her shoes," Botan explained. "But, when I think about it, when I think about how those dog demons all behaved, you're probably right. But there is still one thing I need to ask you."

"There's only one question you need to ask me, and the answer is yes."

Botan frowned, touching a finger to her chin and eying Hiei curiously.

"I don't think you know the question I was going to ask," she said slowly.

To her amazement, a brief look of panic passed over Hiei's face; though it was only fleeting, and he quickly returned to the tense and irritated scowl he had been wearing since telling her about his fate as an emiko.

"The question I need to ask can't be answered with a yes or a no," Botan added.

"The question you need to ask is if I am taking you back to a portal out of this world, and the answer is yes," Hiei replied.

"The question I need to ask is why did the ice maidens tell you that you were infertile and not Inukasai?" Botan blurted out.

When Hiei gave her an almost admonishing look, she realised that her question had probably sounded odd, and so she attempted to justify it.

"It just seems like a strange thing for the ice maidens to have discussed with you," she said. "Especially if they didn't also discuss it with Inukasai – which they can't have done, or he would have mentioned it being wrong or that he thought he had overcome it because his wife is now pregnant – you know how he loves to brag, if he had been told he couldn't be a father, he's be bragging now that he had managed it anyway. And seeing how much Inukasai likes to talk about his disgusting family, I'm almost certain he would have mentioned to the ice maidens that he had a wife and was starting a family of his own, so surely at that point they would have told him that he couldn't. Why didn't they tell him? They told you. Did they just tell you? Why did they tell you? Was it just a part of the facts they told you or did it come up in conversation somehow? And if it came up in conversation, why didn't it also come up in the conversation Inukasai had with–"

"Botan, shut the hell up!"

Botan yelped and swerved further away from the mountain path, clutching one hand to her oar and the other to her chest. Her action was largely unnecessary as Hiei did not so much as look at her as he barked out his irate response, but he had quickened his pace and she could feel that his demon energy had risen as though he had been about to launch an attack; though perhaps it was just a side effect of his rise in temper, she thought to herself.

He seemed to be suddenly and unreasonably angry.

Botan knew that, given that Hiei was literally stomping down the rocky path, his cloak fluttering at his sides from the waves of demon energy radiating off of him, she really ought to leave well alone and let the matter drop: but her curiosity was at an all-time high, and she had never been able to contain her need for answers. After all, of everything that had happened, of everything that Inukasai had said and done and of everything that Hiei had been through in the past few days, why was talking about his apparent inability to father children the one point he was getting so edgy talking about? Were it Inukasai responding that way, it would make more sense, as he was the one with an illogically pregnant wife. Why did Hiei care that he could not have a family? He had already admitted that he had never been married or had a serious girlfriend, and he had always given Botan the impression that he despised children and harboured no desire to have any of his own.

Then, as if from nowhere, the missing link appeared in Botan's head and left her mouth as soon as it did so, despite her knowing she should not have voiced it the moment she had finished doing so.

"You asked the ice maidens about it."

Hiei's silence and the breif crackle of black flame around his right arm was really all the confirmation Botan needed to know that her assumption was correct. At first she nodded, feeling that she finally had an understanding of the situation: but then she faltered, her eyes growing wide and her lips twitching as she realised that, in fact, she had even less understanding of the situation than before. Knowing that Hiei had asked the ice maidens a question that Inukasai had not explained how he knew something that his fellow emiko did not, but it still did not explain why Hiei would ask such a question and Inukasai would not.

Botan started to wonder how and why Hiei had asked. Had he been trying to father a child and failed? Had he wanted to have children, but feared they would be born the same as he had been, and so had asked to find out how to handle a baby emiko? Why had Inukasai – with his pregnant wife – not asked those sorts of questions?

Botan flew closer to the path again, watching Hiei carefully as she did so. He was still walking briskly, his fists were still clenched at his sides, he was still fired up – almost literally – and his head was still tilted downwards, his eyes mostly obscured beneath his hair, his jaw was still squared as though he was tightly clenching his teeth together and his lips were still formed into a sneer.

"I'm coming with you, Hiei."

Botan waited for Hiei to tell her that she had to leave demon world. She waited for him to tell her that she had misunderstood his plans, that he did not intend to go back to the ice village. She waited for him to call her a name or tell her to leave him alone. It took a few minutes of travelling on before he finally did answer her, and the answer he gave was not one she had expected, given that he was clearly still angry that she had made him mention something he was not at all comfortable talking about.

"At the end of this path we move east, in the opposite direction of the cave we stayed in last night. A mile beyond the divide in the path we will reach a grassy plateau in the hills. It should be a good place for you to set up your stupid tent. We leave at daybreak."

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Hiei and Botan head out for the ice village together, and along the way they find that their conversations always come back to one subject: love and romance. **Chapter 9 – The Long Road Home**


	9. The Long Road Home

**Chapter 9 – The Long Road Home**

As he waited for the mountain hares he had caught to finish roasting over the campfire, Hiei glared across the flames at the ferry girl, caught between the frustration of watching her make a miserable job of erecting her tent and the knowledge that pointing out her errors would be interpreted as an offer of help. She was humming to herself, a smile on her face despite the frown of concentration darkening her eyes, as she tried – for the third time, Hiei noted darkly – to insert the rear support bar into the lower part of the front support bar. She was looking a little worse for wear, which was not a look he had ever noticed on her before, though it was probably a side effect of visiting the filthy dog demon village. Her neat, suede leather ankle boots were scuffed at the toes, her once pristine champagne coloured tights were streaked with dust and she had a black smear down one side of her nose that she was apparently unaware of – a result of her handling the greased metal tent poles and then scratching her nose.

He resented her for her carefree cheerfulness, though he supposed that what they were doing together probably seemed like an adventure for her. For a creature more accustomed to floating about chatting up dead humans, travelling around demon world – with the added bonus of getting to poke her nose into someone else's private life – was a definite upgrade in circumstance. He knew that she was revelling in everything she was finding out about him, and, after only one full day, she was already treading dangerously close to becoming the only being – past or present, dead or alive – to have walked so far down the road of Hiei's life. He knew that she loved prying and getting involved where she was not typically welcome and that she loved trying to fix other people's lives as though her own life was so perfect that she was some sort of authority on the matter.

But Hiei also knew that he was every bit as much to blame for her presence on his journey as she was.

He could have gone alone. It was her fault they had been arrested by the dog demons, it was her fault he was now even considering going back to the ice village and it was her fault that he had been forced to listen to Inukasai's self-righteous oration about his slutty wife and her no doubt web-toed, scale-faced, inbred unborn child. Travelling at the pace and in the manner that would be required to allow the ferry girl to accompany him would make the journey from Inugoya to the ice village last days instead of hours. On his own he could have just sprinted there in about twelve or fourteen hours. With the ferry girl, he would have to run – slowly – probably with the added hindrance of carrying her enormous bag, they would have to stop overnight to let her sleep and they would probably have to stop several times throughout the day so that she could eat, drink and use a toilet. Her presence was turning a journey Hiei already did not want to make into a longer, slower affair, that would just mean more time to consider how ridiculous what he was doing actually was.

And yet still, something twisted within Hiei that he could not explain or understand made him continue to take her with him.

Though since she was with him, and the journey back to his birthplace would be a long one, she be as well make herself useful and provide him with some entertainment, he decided: after all, she had certainly had her fill of entertaining herself at his expense that day, and he so felt justified in doing the same to her.

"Now that Yusuke is no longer the spirit detective, your job must be very boring," he said.

She paused her pointless task and her eyebrows eased out of a frown, her bright pink eyes moving to him, her smile unfaltering.

"Obviously you weren't needed as a ferry girl full time," Hiei added, suspecting that she needed more prompting to understand the point he was driving at. "Koenma would never have allowed you to spend so much time around Yusuke otherwise. And now that spirit world no longer has a spirit detective at all, I wonder how you fill your days."

Her smile widened and he knew why: she mistakenly thought that he was making friendly conversation with her.

"Well actually, I don't have enough work as a ferry girl to keep me busy," she said. "Lord Koenma is considering me for another role in spirit world. It's very exciting."

"And in the mean time, you have a lot of spare time?" Hiei responded.

"Yes, I do," she said, looking a little less chipper. "Which is fortunate, I suppose, because it means I've been able to help you flush out that lying cad Inukasai without the worry of falling behind with my duties in spirit world."

"If you weren't here with me, what would you be doing right now?"

"Oh, I don't know. I like visiting my friends. I try to spend time with Yukina and Keiko and Shizuru – and that usually also means spending time with Kuwabara and sometimes even Kurama – and I try to catch Yusuke when he's in the living world."

"So you would say that, when you're not working, you indulge in your favourite hobby?"

Botan slowly tilted her head to one side, her face starting to change into a worried and vaguely saddened look, which, Hiei felt, was more appropriate for what he was about to make her talk about.

"Spying on people," he continued. "Living vicariously through others. Obsessing over – and, in the case of my sister and Kuwabara – inventing romance where it otherwise does not exist."

"…I don't spy on people…" she said quietly.

"Don't lie to me," Hiei warned her.

"I don't spy on people all the time," she corrected herself. "And it's harmless… I just… I like romance. And I see a lot of it in other people's lives."

"Why doesn't it exist in your own life?"

The ferry girl dropped one of the tent poles she had been holding, her eyes becoming rounded as she looked at him, her face draining of colour as though she was shocked by his question.

"Are-are you asking me about my lovelife, Hiei?" she asked.

"For someone so obsessed with romance, someone who points it out wherever she sees it, someone who sees romance in just about every situation and every remotely amorous relationship, surely your interest in the matter includes actively participating in the sport and not just observing it."

She dropped the other tent pole.

"It's strange though," Hiei continued. "You talk about it all the time, but I never see it. You fawn over Yusuke kissing Keiko, but I never see you fawning over your own love interest. Why is that?"

She dropped her hands into her lap and lowered her head to look down at them as though she thought the answer he was looking for might be there.

"Or is your obsession so strong because it stems from a desire for something you sorely lack in your own life?" Hiei pressed.

"I don't want to talk about it," she mumbled, her voice so low an ordinary human would not have been able to hear her over the crackling of the campfire between them.

"You didn't hesitate to talk to me about my shortcomings as an emiko," he shot back. "You didn't care how humiliating it was for me to have to admit what I did to you. If you insist on continuing to the ice village with me then you and I are effectively entering into a formal alliance, and the very definition of an alliance is that we are allies. Allies don't harbour information from each other."

"This information isn't relevant to what we're doing!" she protested.

She had lifted her head and she was looking directly at him, her face flushed with colour and her eyes flashing with rage: but even through the distortion of the heat haze from the flames between them Hiei could see that her lower lip was quivering.

"None of the information you've learned about my private life is relevant to what we're doing," he pointed out. "We're supposed to be finding out the truth about Inukasai. It's his life we're supposed to be dissecting, not mine."

"Just because some things about your life have come to light, doesn't mean that we have to talk about my life now!" she argued back.

"If you don't tell me, I have other ways of finding answers."

"You can't just read my mind, that's rude!"

"I could just read your mind – it's not like I need your permission to do so – but I don't think I'll do that. If you don't tell me the facts, I'll make up my own."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

Hiei deliberately paused to reposition the mountain hares by the fire, drawing the task out intentionally to give the girl time to stew in the quagmire of her own conflicting emotions. He did not need to answer her, her own inability to keep quiet and need to end the awkwardness of the situation would get the better of her and she would tell him what he wanted to know.

"I don't make up facts about you, Hiei!" she said as he finished his task and wiped his hands off on his pants. "That's not something friends do!"

Hiei nodded.

"Hn."

"No it's not!"

"I didn't say anything."

"You don't understand, it's not like that!"

"I didn't say anything."

"I just wanted our marriage to mean something, Hiei!"

Hiei's balked. Of all the responses he had been expecting to elicit from the ferry girl, the one she had just given had surely been the most unexpected and inexplicable.

"You don't care because it's not important to you and you've had hundreds of girlfriends because it's easy for you!" she ranted, tears welling in her eyes and her voice gaining an edge of hysteria. "But it's never been easy for me, and I just don't understand why! Why can't our marriage be romantic?"

"We're not actually married," Hiei said carefully.

He was starting to wonder if there was some bizarre law in spirit world that meant that merely calling someone your wife was akin to marrying them.

"You realise that I only told Inukasai you were my wife to piss him off, right?" he added.

"Why can't our marriage be romantic, Hiei?" she asked again, her voice getting shrill.

"Because it's fake!" he said sternly.

"The fact that it's fake makes it all the more pathetic that it can't be romantic!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I never get to have any real romance in my own life, only fake romantic thoughts inside my head, so why can't our fake marriage that only exists inside our heads be romantic if I want it to be?"

Hiei narrowed his eyes and moved forwards onto all fours, leering across the campfire at the now openly sobbing ferry girl.

"Did you eat or drink anything while we were in Inugoya?" he asked.

"No, and I'm so hungry I just want to die!" she wailed.

"Well then eat something, your hunger is making you delirious."

Hiei moved to the roasting hares, drawing out his sword to carve off some of the top layer of meat to feed the girl. He had gone from wanting her to talk to just wanting her to shut-up again, and at least if she crammed her mouth full of food she would stop talking.

"It's not fair!"

Hiei's hand slipped at the sharp tone of the ferry girl's outburst and he narrowly missed amputating his own thumb with his sword.

"Why does romance happen to everyone else except me?" she cried.

"If I had a mirror handy, I could show you why…" Hiei grumbled as he repositioned the tip of his sword against one of the hares.

"Nobody ever finds me attractive!"

"Again, if I had a mirror…"

"I just don't understand! Every girl meets a boy who finds her attractive at least once in her life, why has it never happened for me? Boys don't even look at me, and when they do, they just want to be my friend, and even then, once they start talking to me and they get to know me, they lose interest in me! What's wrong with me? Why am I so repulsive?"

Hiei turned his head from the meal he was trying to cook, straightened his back and craned his neck to peer over the fire at the ferry girl, who had thrown herself onto the ground, facedown. When she did nothing more than quietly sob into the grass, he slowly rose to his feet and carefully walked around the fire to stand by her head.

"Hey," he grunted, poking her shoulder with the tip of his sword. "Stop making such a racquet."

She did not respond, and when he saw that his sword had stabbed a hole into the shoulder of her tunic, he stopped poking at her. He waited for her to move or say something, quickly growing impatient when she did neither. He sighed and threw down his sword and then stepped over the ferry girl, gathering up the tent poles she had abandoned. As she lay whimpering pitifully to herself, he quickly set up her tent. Once he was done he retrieved the fleece blanket from her bag and threw it into the tent.

"Get some rest," he said, pointing into the open tent flap.

"I don't want to," she muttered into the ground.

"Well you're not going to lie out here crying about your pathetic life all night and keeping me awake!" Hiei snapped irritably.

To his surprise, she suddenly sat up onto one hip, looking back over her shoulder at him.

"You're going to sleep out here?" she asked.

"Where else would I sleep?" he asked.

"But I have the tent."

"I'm not–"

Hiei stopped abruptly, a strange feeling washing over him. He tried to swallow it down, but he suddenly found his throat too tight to obey him.

"You can't sleep out here," Botan added. "It might rain. The tent is big enough for both of us."

"We're not actually married!"

Hiei realised his mistake when she got to her feet and turned to face him, her misery suddenly replaced by pompous ire.

"I wasn't suggesting we sleep together, Hiei!" she said. "I was just suggesting that you sleep inside the tent, not inside me!"

"I don't want to do anything inside you!" Hiei yelped.

"Well good, because we're not actually husband and wife, and it wouldn't be appropriate for you to abuse our friendship that way!"

"What are you talking about?"

"You can't just come in there and take advantage of me because I'm feeling vulnerable!"

"That thought never even crossed my mind!"

"Really?"

"Absolutely!"

"Oh."

Hiei growled when the ferry girl appeared to look disappointed.

"Just get some sleep!" he snapped at her.

She sighed.

"We shouldn't argue because of that horrid jerk Inukasai," she said. "I'm not mad at you, Hiei."

Hiei tensed, wondering what sort of trap she was trying to lay for him.

"You're not the only one he said deeply personal and hurtful insults to," she added quietly.

Hiei wanted to tell the ferry girl that she was being unreasonable, but he found himself remembering all the things Inukasai had said to Yukina about Botan and then all the things he had said as they had been leaving the village of the dog demons, and he conceded that perhaps the bastard emiko had been quite critical of the ferry girl, and perhaps even unfairly so.

"Get in the tent," he said quietly. "I'll prepare us some food."

To his relief, she nodded and then did as he asked.

* * *

As Botan sucked the juices from each of her fingers in turn, she became painfully aware of two things: Hiei was sitting staring at her with what was arguably the most unimpressed look she had ever seen him wear and, after eating like a half-starved pig, she felt calm, coherent and totally at a loss to explain why she had behaved the way she had before Hiei had fed her. She slowly drew her index finger out of her mouth and then smiled, hoping to do something about the way Hiei was looking at her, which really was the most unimpressed she had ever seen him look, and, as someone prone to being unimpressed by everyone and everything around him, that really was quite a feat.

"Yum yum, that was lovely!"

Her tone sounded contrived to even her own ears, but she maintained her smile as best she could.

"I was so famished, I could have eaten a whole one of those hares all to myself!"

She still sounded incredibly fake, but the dullness in Hiei's hooded eyes had lifted slightly.

"You did eat a whole hare all to yourself."

Botan peered down at the piles of bones in front of her knees and then looked over at Hiei. She was unsure if he was telling the truth or not, and as he appeared to have eaten the bones of his meal, it was even more difficult for her to figure out.

"I was very hungry," she said faintly.

"Hn."

Botan dragged the back of one hand over her lips, trying not to show how panicked she felt when she noticed the greasy smear her gesture created on her hand. She quickly grabbed a corner of her blanket and lifted it over her mouth and nose, casually dabbing at her face in the hope that her actions looked nonchalant.

"It's funny what hunger can do to a person," she said as casually as she could. "I was so hungry, I think I might have been delirious. I certainly hope I didn't say or do anything silly…"

Hiei was looking at her the same way he had looked at Zeru during the dark tournament – which was actually a huge improvement to how he had been looking at her, though it was still less than ideal.

"It was very chivalrous of you to carry my bag and put up my tent and make me dinner, Hiei," she added, before glancing down at the blanket section she had been wiping over her face.

She gave her mouth one last wipe before dropping the blanket down in the silent hope that she looked a lot more dignified than she felt.

"After you did all those nice things for me, like such a gentleman, I really hope I didn't act bratty at all…" she added.

"Even if you had, by your own evaluation, I would be too much of a gentleman to mention it."

Botan squinted over at Hiei. They were both sitting inside the tent, either side of the open door flap, and the only light to be had was from the dying embers of their campfire outside; as such, the interior of the tent was quite dull, making what would usually be a barely perceptible change in Hiei's expression almost impossible to detect. She thought – or perhaps she just hoped – that his last remark had been a joke. Hiei was not known for making jokes of course, but he did sometimes display a caustic wit that appealed to the darker side of Botan's sensibility, and after the awkwardness of the past hour, she was optimistically hoping to catch a hint of the tell-tale self-serving smirk on his face that indicated he was indeed making light of the situation.

"You should get some rest," he said, his tone quite flat. "We have a long day ahead of us. The ice village is far from here, and the road there is not an easy one."

He lifted himself into a crouch and started shuffling towards the tent door, and in a moment of panicked insensibility, Botan found herself grabbing his arm at the elbow. He stopped, one foot out the door, and turned his head, his eyes looking down at her hand for longer than seemed reasonable before slowly lifting to meet her eyes.

"I'm not a silly little girl who blindly obsesses over romance and indulges in huge bouts of self-pity because she can't find herself a boyfriend."

Botan gulped after the words had left her mouth, wanting desperately to turn and bury herself in her blanket but equally unable to take her eyes from Hiei as she needed to see how he would receive her words and what his expression would be if and when he answered her.

"I know that," he muttered.

"Good," she said, releasing his arm.

She supposed that was as good an answer as she would ever get from Hiei on anything, and so she moved onto all fours and crawled deeper into the tent to commence rearranging her blanket, turning down the corner she had dirtied on her face. Behind her Hiei stepped out of the tent and zipped the door closed behind himself. At the moment that the sound of the zip ceased, Botan heard Hiei's voice – muffled as he was talking outside of the enclosed tent – add one last remark.

"I wouldn't have married you if you were."

Botan turned and fell rather abruptly onto her backside, her eyes wide and staring at Hiei's shadow as he moved about outside of the tent. She wished she was the one with a jagan eye, because she was sure that his last remark had been another example of his acerbic sense of humour, but she was not really sure if he was making the joke at her expense or if he had intended to amuse her with it.

Either way, she thought with a grimace of anxiety, the journey ahead to the ice village was going to be challenging in more ways than one.

* * *

After a difficult night of struggling to sleep on hard ground, trying to block out the infrequent, distant screams and trying to comprehend complex nightmares, Botan finally awoke to a heat that denoted a rising sun, and she blearily set about rolling up her blanket and stuffing it into her bag. She unzipped the tent door and stumbled out, stretching her arms above her head and rising onto her tiptoes as she let out a shamelessly loud yawn. As she closed her mouth, lowered her arms and opened her eyes, she found Hiei sitting on the ground on the other side of the remains of the campfire from the night before, looking up at her with that strange look that kept appearing randomly on his face ever since she had met him by the riverbank back in the living world.

"Good morning, Hiei," she said, her voice as small as she felt.

He said nothing, but he stood up and started to stroll over the ashes of the fire, the strange look still firmly in place on his face and his eyes still locked onto hers.

"H-Hiei?" she said nervously as he continued towards her.

She tensed, expecting him to grab her for a reason she could not explain, remaining that way even after he had walked past her. She looked back over her shoulder, only able to relax when she saw that he was quickly dismantling the tent and packing it away into the bag. She turned back again to look out across the hilltop, at which point she noticed something that made her heart skip a beat.

"Hiei?" she said, turning towards him as he finished cramming the tent into her bag. "Why is the sun so high in the sky?"

"It's almost mid-day," he replied as he zipped the bag shut.

"What?"

"With the morning gone, we won't cover as much distance today as I'd hoped."

"What? Hiei! I had no idea I'd slept so long! Why didn't you wake me?"

Hiei did not answer her and Botan was unsure if she was more annoyed at him for letting her sleep or disappointed in herself for wasting so much time; after all, she did not even feel well-rested, despite having overslept. And Hiei was not the only one who would suffer if their journey was delayed: Botan herself was very aware that every minute that passed took her closer and closer to her Friday deadline, and she simply had to get rid of Inukasai before Friday arrived and before Koenma wondered why she had not done what had been asked of her.

"I'll take the bag on my oar," she offered as Hiei started to pick up her bag.

He paused, his arms holding the strap of the bag just above his head.

"Do you expend more energy keeping your oar airborne if you are carrying a heavier load?" he asked.

"Well yes, of course–"

"Then I'll take the bag."

Hiei dropped the bag across his back and stepped forward to stand at her side.

"We're going this way," he said, pointing out across the tops of the hills. "If we stay up high, we're less likely to encounter anything that might otherwise slow us down. The path is uneven in altitude and direction, but ultimately it leads us to that distant woodland. We'll stop there to eat, then we must reach the other side of the trees before nightfall. Beyond the trees there is a lake with an island in the centre. We'll set up camp there for the night."

"What?" Botan echoed.

She stared down at Hiei, her heartbeat quickening and intensifying. He looked back up at her, his face caught somewhere between that odd look he kept giving her and one of mild irritation.

"What part of what I just said didn't you get?" he asked, sounding more irritated than he looked.

"Set up camp for the night?" she faintly replied.

"Don't worry, as I have already demonstrated, unlike you, I do know how to assemble your tent," he sarcastically replied.

"Not that!" Botan said. "The overnight part! We have to camp out for another night?"

"It's a long road to the ice village."

"But the place we're staying tonight is very close to our destination, right?"

"It's a long road to the ice village."

"Yes, but–"

"It will be even longer if we stand here talking about it."

Botan held back her next argument, realising that Hiei would only argue with her and make the journey longer if she did not just stop talking and start moving. But she could not help but worry about the fact that it was Sunday already, and if they needed to camp out for another night, that meant it would be at least Monday before they reached the ice village, and that meant there was only four days left to get the answers they needed and get rid of Inukasai.

"Will it take as long to come back as it will to go there?" she asked.

Hiei gave her a dark look before stuffing a hand into his pants pocket and producing a peach-coloured fruit the size of a cricket ball.

"Eat your breakfast on the move," he said, holding the fruit out towards her.

"Thank you," she said, accepting his offer.

"Let's go."

When Hiei started running away Botan hurriedly summoned her oar into her free hand and leapt onto it, darting off after him. It took her some time to catch up to him, and when she did, she was barely able to slow her pace as he appeared to move faster once he knew she was level with him. In order that she could keep up with him, he was moving slowly enough that she could still track him with her eyes – though sometimes only barely – and it was only after watching him leapt up several large boulders and over a few chasms that looked too wide to be jumped over that she realised she was hungrily munching her way through the fruit he had given her. She had no idea where he had gotten it from, but it was refreshingly juicy, which was welcome as her skin was still a little hot from sitting in the sunny cell in Inugoya the day before. As she finished her meal she realised that the juices had run all down her arm and, with her flying at great speed into a light breeze, the juice had dried onto her skin and left it tacky to the touch. She momentarily felt disgusted by it, but when she considered that she had not washed and that she had been forced to use nature's toilet since her arrival in demon world, she realised that sticky fruit juice on her arm ought to be the least of her concerns.

And, she thought miserably, even the fact that she was rapidly becoming as dirty and smelly as a member of the dog demon tribe was not even the biggest of her concerns.

The memory of everything she had said and done around the campfire the night before was painfully clear in her mind and she was still amazed that Hiei had not killed her or simply abandoned her for it. In fact, she thought, trying to ignore the fact that thinking about it made her breakfast threaten to come up, he had even made a joke about it as he had closed the tent door between them the night before. Hiei had never been the sort to be patient or understanding of anyone's emotions, least of all Botan's, and so she really was at a loss as to why he was not making her suffer more for having cried and complained about her lovelife – or rather lack thereof – so shamelessly.

Everything she had said had been true, but that only made it worse. Ordinarily, Botan found it hard enough admitting to herself that her romantic obsession stemmed largely from the fact that her own life was lacking any romantic content whatsoever; so why she had admitted it to someone as uninterested and unsympathetic as Hiei was beyond her comprehension. She tried to tell herself that she really had just been delirious from hunger – and apparently exhaustion, as she had slept so long afterwards – but she knew that was really only a small part of the explanation for her actions.

Apparently the journey she had embarked upon with Hiei was going to be an education in her own life as well as his.

And it was not just that she had admitted something pathetic to him in a very pathetic manner, it was that she had admitted what she considered to be both her biggest weakness and her biggest failing. She hated the fact that she had never had a boyfriend. She hated the fact that having a boyfriend was so easy for everyone else and yet so impossible for her. She hated the fact that every girl she knew had been appreciated for being pretty and attractive except her: and she hated the fact even more since her encounter with Inuyusha, who had been the only man she had ever met who had shown more than a passing interest in her. Just like she had told Hiei, her romantic pattern was always the same: boys either rapidly lost any interest they might have shown in her after minutes of talking to her or they simply failed to notice her at all. She did not think that she was ugly, but that only left her wondering if she had something wrong with her that made her see herself as looking like a normal girl, whereas everybody else saw her as something else entirely.

It was not even a subject she could talk to any of her friends about. Keiko would never understand, because Yusuke had been appreciating her good looks since their kindergarten days, and just as Yusuke's interest had never wavered, Keiko had never had a reason to doubt her attractiveness. Shizuru got her share of attention and cared little for it, dismissing anyone brave enough to approach her with a blasé wave of her hand and only giving a boy more than a second look if he came packaged in a form that she liked (which was usually roguishly handsome with a tendency for bad behaviour). Yukina had been raised to have no concept of her own sexuality, and despite that she still had Kuwabara running after her endlessly; Kuwabara of course being yet another boy Botan had been surprised to find had actually considered her to be pretty, but he had quickly tired of her, just like any other boy who had ever shown even a shred of interest. And, any time Botan did try to speak to any of her friends about her concerns, she always got the same responses: pity and platitudes from Keiko, puppy dog eyes of mildly perplexed sympathy from Yukina and jokes and a beer from Shizuru. They were always very kind, always concerned about the fact that she was upset, but they never offered her an honest answer or possible solutions to her problem.

At least Hiei was always brutally honest.

Botan squinted down at Hiei as he sliced the head off a snake without slowing. Maybe his honesty was why she had spoken to him, she thought. Maybe he was the only one of her friends who was honest enough – and fearless enough – to be direct with her. Maybe he was the only one who could help her. Maybe talking to him was not the worst thing she had ever done: maybe she could tell him everything and maybe, just maybe, he – as both her helpful friend and as a man – could give her some genuinely useful and practical hints to help alleviate her issues.

After all, if the journey to the ice village was going to take a few days, it would be nice to have something to talk about that distracted Hiei from his ongoing problem with Inukasai and distracted Botan's conscience from the task she been set by Koenma and from rehashing the details of the rewards he had dangled in front of her should she comply.

* * *

There were a great many things Hiei did not understand about others – even demons often left him perplexed, and so humans and spirits were far beyond his realm of comprehension – but watching the ferry girl meticulously wash her hands and face after she had already finished eating seemed a little backward even by Hiei's standards. She was standing next to a small waterfall, the top of which was barely higher than the top of her head, rinsing her hands and splashing water on her face and even cupping water in her hands to drink it. As he had no idea where the source water came from that fed the waterfall, Hiei himself had stayed away from it, instead gathering water from one of the streams back in the hills. The ferry girl however was far more careless, drinking the water and splashing it all over herself with a kind of blissful ignorance.

Maybe he should have said something to her, but she was already covered in it and had already started drinking it.

Hiei turned his attention to the forest ahead, noting by the angle of the sun in the sky that they had made quite good time – the ferry girl had moved faster than he had expected her to and managed to maintain the speed – and by the end of the following day, they ought to reach the cooler climate of the region around the ice village. He considered telling the ferry girl as much, but he had a vague suspicion that if he told her exactly how long the journey was she was going to try to make conversation with him, and, after her little tantrum the night before, he was not keen to indulge her any further.

Talking to her about the shortcomings in her lovelife truly was the last thing Hiei wanted to even think about, let alone do: it was not even like he was in any sort of position to understand or respond to anything she was talking about.

In fact, Hiei thought bitterly as he turned back to watch her dry off her face onto a towel she had apparently found in her enormous bag, were it not for the fact that she had become useful to him, he would not have let her come so far with him. He felt that, after the nonsense diatribe Inukasai had subjected him to when he had been trying to leave Inuygoya, there was a small chance that the emiko would follow him to the ice village. Until he had undeniable proof that he could present to Yukina that both showed that Inukasai was not her brother and mentioned nothing of her real brother, Hiei needed to keep the ferry girl around, lest he have any more run-ins with Inukasai. He needed the girl there because her presence reminded him not to kill Inukasai – which was something he definitely could not do as long as Yukina thought he was her brother – and, since Inukasai thought that Botan was Hiei's wife, he needed to keep her around to help him maintain the lie.

Once he had managed to successfully expose Inukasai's lies they could go their separate ways, and Hiei was sure that, by that point, which was a few days of travelling away yet, the ferry girl would be as glad as he was to part ways.

"Hiei?"

Hiei looked directly at the ferry girl as she said his name, watching her expectantly. After a brief pause she continued, though he wished she had not when he heard what she had to say.

"Since we are going to be travelling for a couple of days, is there a decent lingerie shop around here?"

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** (My apparent favourite plot device for any Hiei/Botan fic I write happens AGAIN.) Hiei gives Botan advice on her lovelife, after spying on a conversation in another realm, Hiei imposes a deadline to complete the mission before Friday, Botan frets when Hiei starts to snuggle her, and Hiei is faced with a tough decision. **Chapter 10 – Simple Philosophy**


	10. Simple Philosophy

**A/N:** WHY DOES BOTAN'S OAR ALWAYS END UP BROKEN (SOMETIMES AS A PLOT DEVICE) IN MY FANFICS?

Seriously though. I didn't start out this chapter or this portion of the story expecting it to break and then it totally just did.

* * *

 **Chapter 10 – Simple Philosophy**

"Hiei? Since we are going to be travelling for a couple of days, is there a decent lingerie shop around here?"

It was not so much the fact that the ferry girl had asked the question that bothered Hiei, it was more that she had chosen to ask the question after standing by a waterfall, and when she used the word "lingerie" it was difficult for him keep his eyes on hers and not allow them wander to the droplets of water over her chest that were glistening in the light of the evening sun. He really hoped that the ridiculousness of her outfit was her own doing and not spirit world's, as surely even the authorities of spirit world were not so twisted as to send one of their workers to demon world dressed so alluringly.

"Did you notice where Inugoya was located?" he asked.

"At the top of the highest mountain back in those mountains we went to," she replied.

"Yes," Hiei replied. "Do you know where we're going next?"

"The ice village," she said.

Her voice had slowed and her perky smile had wilted slightly, which was a good sign as far as Hiei was concerned because it meant that she was starting to understand the point he was about to make.

"Yes," he said. "We're travelling from one remote village to another. This may surprise you, but there are no fashion boutiques en route."

"But Inuyusha took all my underwear!"

Hiei made a small noise of annoyance. Ordinarily he would have no sympathy for a ferry girl bemoaning her lack of frilly undergarments, but he did especially hate the dog demon tribe at that moment, and it had been quite low of them to take her underwear, especially when they had left the sack of hiruiseki untouched.

"This isn't a vacation," he said. "We can't take a detour for a shopping trip. We would lose time."

"How much time?" she asked, much to his chagrin.

"At least a day."

Arguably it would not be as long as that: the forest they were about to pass through did border a large town that could be visited in a matter of hours, but it was obscured by the trees and she would not see it. It was an inconvenience Hiei could do without.

"We can't waste a whole day," she said, much to his relief. "Unless you could get there and back faster without me?"

"I really hope you're not suggesting I play errand boy by going to the nearest appropriate location and purchasing underwear for you?"

Hiei had deliberately kept his voice low and threatening, posing his words as a question but hoping that the ferry girl would have the good sense to realise that it was a rhetorical one.

"I could write down my sizes for you."

"I'm not setting foot into a shop that sells women's underwear."

"Are clothing sizes the same in demon world as they are in the living world?"

"It doesn't matter, because I am not doing it!"

"Well, I suppose I could just wash what I'm already wearing, but that means not wearing any underwear at all while I wash it and wait for it to dry."

"We're moving towards some hot springs. You can wash there."

"Oh, alright."

Hiei was relieved that Botan accepted his answer: especially as it was only partially true. They would be passing hot springs, but not until they reached the colder region of the ice village, which was another day away yet.

"We need to move on," he said as the ferry girl began shaking out her towel.

"I've never worn the same underwear for more than one day without washing or changing it."

Hiei tried to keep the irritation and confusion from his face.

"I didn't want you to think that I had," she added, apparently sensing that he was perplexed by her words. "I'm very clean. Not obsessively so, but I am clean. And I always wear clean underwear."

"I don't need to know that," Hiei said when he felt that she would not stop talking until he said something.

"I always make an effort with my clothing."

"Are you packing that bag yet?"

"I know that most girls make an effort with their clothing, but I don't think that I make any less effort than any other girl. I always dress stylishly but appropriately. What do you think, Hiei? Do men really notice when a girl makes an effort to look good but still be taken seriously as–"

"Shut-up and pack the damn bag!"

"Don't you care what I look like?"

"No!"

"Well fine then, I'll just change into something ugly, and then you can explain to Inukasai why you married a woman with no sense of style!"

Hiei slowly narrowed his eyes, both at a loss as to why the ferry girl was apparently even more irate than he was and concerned that she knew she could blackmail him with their fake marriage for the sake him saving face in the presence of his nemesis.

"Wear whatever you want to wear," he said. "I don't care. Whatever it takes for you to stop faffing about and get moving."

She sighed and actually looked as though his answer had made her even more annoyed.

"Hiei, don't you notice how a woman looks?" she asked.

"Not really," he frankly replied.

"That can't be true!" she snapped. "You must have noticed how pretty Inukasai's wife was?"

Hiei felt his face twist. He had heard this argument before: it was the one Keiko always used on Yusuke, and there was no possible way for it to end well. It was a female tactic, used to back a man up into a corner that he could not safely escape from.

"I'm not going to talk to you about whether you or that bastard's wife is more attractive," he said sternly. "Because we are not really married and I'm not obliged to flatter your fragile ego. Unless you're hoping to seduce Inukasai away from his wife, the conversation is a moot point as far as I am concerned."

"I just want to know what it is that you find attractive about me, Hiei!" she replied, angrily cramming her towel back into her bag. "Because the only thing you admitted to was that you think I have bigger breasts than Inukasai's wife, and I'd like to think I'm more than just a pair of breasts, Hiei! They're not even that big! They are quite perky and firm, but–"

"We are not having this conversation!"

"Why not?"

"Because you're not really my wife and I'm not really attracted to you."

"Okay, why are you not attracted to me? What's wrong with me?"

Hiei twitched. When she had asked him the same question the night before he had been willing to dismiss her hysteria as a side-effect of her exhaustion and hunger, but she had no such excuse any more.

"Why are you here?" he asked her.

"What?" she echoed, her angered stance faltering as though she was surprised by his question.

"You said you came with me to Inugoya because you were my friend," he said. "Is that the truth or did you come with me because you think we are more than friends?"

"Hiei!" she snapped.

She looked indignant, which was good – mildly offensive, as it clearly indicated that she thought it outrageous that she was being accused of finding him attractive, but still good because it meant that she was not secretly harbouring some romantic inclination towards him.

"Why do you care so much whether or not someone else thinks you look pretty?" he asked.

"I just don't understand why nobody ever does," she replied, sounding and looking far more sedate.

Hiei contemplated telling her that she had made quite an impression on Inuyusha, but that was a huge insult and even Hiei had more tact than to voice it.

"Maybe you should worry more about what you think about yourself and not what everyone else thinks about you," he said instead.

"Yes, I know that's good advice, but Hiei, boys never like me the way they like other girls, and I feel like there's something seriously wrong with me," she said. "I don't know what it is and that just makes it worse."

"This is probably something you should speak to another woman about," Hiei suggested.

He thought he was being exceptionally patient with her, but she apparently did not appreciate that as she carried on talking at him.

"I've tried. They don't understand because it's not the same for them."

"Then speak to a man about it."

"That's what I'm trying to do now."

Hiei balled his hands into fists at his sides and held back a sneer of displeasure.

"Not me," he said. "Someone else."

"You're the only person I trust to be honest with me."

Hiei snorted involuntarily, at first assuming that she was making a joke. When he saw that she was completely serious, he was unsure if he found her words even more amusing or just disturbing.

"We're wasting time now," he said, stepping forward and grabbing the handle of her bag. "We have to get through the trees before the sun sets."

To his surprise she did not release the bag – which was also mildly amusing to him – as though she thought that by holding onto it she could stop Hiei from just taking it by force. He paused anyway, looking her in the eye and waiting long enough to hear her explain herself.

"Please Hiei," she said softly. "I just want to know what I'm doing wrong."

"You are asking the wrong person," he quietly replied, before tugging the bag from her grasp.

She opened her mouth and started to reach a hand towards him, but he did not wait any longer to let her say anything else, instead starting off into the forest. He moved a little slower than before until she had taken to the air and caught up to him. As he sped up again to the maximum speed he knew she could keep up with, Hiei silently hoped that she would not talk to him about her romantic obsession again: after all, it was hardly his area of expertise, and even thinking about it made him feel awkward and angry beyond reason.

* * *

Botan was still neither accustomed to nor fond of using random patches of ground as a toilet and her only consolation when she did so was that the route Hiei was taking her was remote and there was little to no risk of anyone seeing her in such an embarrassing position. She stood up from behind the bush and double-checked that she had pulled her tights up correctly before starting to move around the plant and back towards the campfire. In her first few steps she noticed that Hiei had assembled her tent again and in her next few steps she slowed to a halt as she noticed – after some looking around – that Hiei was sitting on a low branch of one of the larger trees at the edge of the forest, his eyes closed and his head down, but his bandana removed and his jagan eye fully open, emitting a soft violet light.

Had he been watching her?

Botan gasped quietly and held out one hand, her oar popping into her palm. She quietly sat onto her oar and raised herself up until she was on a level with Hiei, and she then silently drifted forwards, bringing herself alongside the branch he was sitting on. She started to lean towards him but stopped abruptly when he opened his eye nearest her and fixed an angry red iris onto her.

"What are you doing?" he growled.

"I was just about to ask you the very same question!" she said. "Were you watching me with your jagan eye?"

"Why would I use my jagan to watch you when you're right here?" he replied.

"I was behind a bush doing something private a minute ago!" she pointed out.

"Yes. Over there."

Hiei's open eye moved in the direction of the bush Botan had just left, and when she copied his action she realised that, from the height and angle he was sitting, he had a full view of where she had been without the need to use his third eye. She turned sharply back to him, ready to berate him for not alerting her to the fact that her hidden location was not as hidden as she had thought it was: but when she saw him close his jagan eye and open both of his own eyes fully, a strange look passing over his face as he did so, she changed her mind.

"What were you watching?" she asked instead, her insatiable curiosity once again besting any other instinct.

"It seems we really don't have long to get rid of Inukasai," he cryptically replied.

His answer could mean anything, Botan thought. He could have been watching spirit world and found out about her deal with Koenma, for all she knew.

"Kuwabara is trying to arrange a trip for himself and Yukina to Inugoya."

Botan's eyes widened. Hiei slowly replaced his bandana, looking far too indifferent given what he had just said.

"We can't let them go there!" she said. "Can you imagine? That nasty, lecherous old man Inuyusha will be all over Yukina! Especially since he seems to have a fetish for ice maidens…"

A sharp glare from Hiei made her break out into a sweat and grin nervously.

"I-I mean it's so filthy and smelly there, and the dog demons are so in your face, poor Yukina would be overwhelmed," she corrected herself.

"Kuwabara has asked Kurama for help to find the village," Hiei said. "He intends to take Yukina there as soon as he has finished his exams."

"And Kurama is going to help them get there?" Botan asked.

"I don't know," Hiei replied. "Kurama told Kuwabara he was unsure exactly where the village is – which is a lie – and he appeared to be trying to deter Kuwabara from going."

"Well that's something. When is Kuwabara's last exam?"

"Thursday. He intends to leave on Friday morning."

Botan tried not to show how pleased she was to hear the happily coincidental timing of Kuwabara's plans to her own.

"Well in that case we just have to make sure we get all the information we need to present to Yukina before Thursday is over," she said.

"Hn."

Botan did not really like the tone of Hiei's grunted response, but she tried to ignore it.

"I still can't find those hot springs you spoke about earlier, by the way," she said instead. "I flew up high to try to see if I could see them from the air, but unless they're buried or very small, I definitely didn't find them."

"They're at the end of the next part of our journey."

Botan, who had been having one last look around for any hint of a steam cloud or glitter of water reflecting the moonlight that might indicate a hot spring, turned back to Hiei.

"The next part of our journey?" she repeated. "You mean the ice village?"

"No, I mean the mountain pass to the ice village."

"Right…"

Botan looked about again, a worrying thought occurring to her then.

"I don't see the mountains," she pointed out. "Or are they hidden because they lead to the ice village – which itself is also hidden?"

"No, they're too far away to see," Hiei replied. "We should reach them by nightfall tomorrow though – provided we do start our journey at daybreak tomorrow."

Botan gulped.

"We're not actually arriving in the ice village tomorrow?" she asked.

"We'll go there the day after," Hiei replied.

"But tomorrow is Monday already," Botan said.

"Hn."

Botan understood then why Hiei's "hn" had the tone that it did: if they would not reach the ice village until Tuesday, they would likely never make it back to the living world or Inugoya before Thursday night. Hiei's comment about making sure they started early in the morning both made Botan feel guilty for sleeping in and gave her an idea that she hoped she could convince him to follow.

"Maybe we shouldn't stop here tonight," she began.

"It's already late, this is as good a campsite as any," he replied. "There is a small island in a lake not far from here that we could have camped on tonight, but going there means moving off-course. We're better to stay here."

"No, I mean maybe we shouldn't camp any more," she corrected him.

Hiei turned his head to look directly at her, giving her one of his looks that implied he thought she was being ridiculous.

"I'm not tired," she explained. "Not after sleeping so late. I could carry you on my oar. You could sleep while I fly. If you tell me which way to go, of course. You get the rest you need, and when you wake up… You could carry me while I sleep… It would waste less time…"

Botan felt a little awkward proposing the second part of her plan: it was one thing for her to carry Hiei on her oar, but it was quite another to expect him to carry her on his back, after all.

"Leave the tent here, and remove anything else unnecessary from your bag."

Botan was a little surprised at Hiei's response, as she had been expecting him to argue the practicality of her suggestion. She did not really want to have to explain to Captain Ootake that she had dumped the tent and some of the clothes he had given her in demon world, but she thought that maybe they could recover them later; and surely if the Special Defence Force used such things all the time, they did have some losses along the way.

"Okay," she agreed. "I can do that in two minutes."

She started to fly towards the ground, though she was disappointed when she heard what Hiei called after her.

"Don't leave the bag of hiruiseki behind, that's valuable."

Botan pouted as she leapt off her oar, silently wondering what sort of idiot Hiei thought she was that he had said something so obvious. She supposed he was still being cagey with her because she had tried to ask him about her romance problem, and he was far more uncomfortable talking about it than she had expected him to be: usually he would just be sarcastic or ignore someone if they spoke about something he found trifling, but he had become genuinely angry when she had tried to get a straight answer out of him. It was doubly frustrating because she had even been willing to deal with the consequences of him giving her a painfully blunt answer, but instead he had just been shifty and refused to tell her anything constructive.

And he was perhaps her only hope of ever getting a straight answer.

In her frustration Botan absent-mindedly threw her fleece blanket, her raincoat and most of the rest of the contents of her bag into the tent, taking only the small sack of money, the food rations, the flasks for gathering water and a small case of items she had not even bothered to open. She then tied the bag to the handle of her oar and flew back up to Hiei's side. As she approached him, she considered suggesting to him that he could sleep in her bag – as it was almost empty and quite large, he would easily fit inside it – and it would act like a hammock for him: but she thought that perhaps he might not appreciate that suggestion, and so she kept the idea to herself.

"I'm ready to go," she said.

Hiei nodded and leapt at her oar. Botan thought it quite odd that he landed so that he was sitting alongside her, as nobody had ever ridden with her in that position before; but she did not have long to contemplate the matter as she found Hiei staring at her with a slightly awkward look on his face.

"I'm trusting you not to drop me while I sleep," he told her.

Botan realised then that she had no way of guaranteeing that Hiei would not fall off her oar once he was asleep and no longer able to hold himself in place.

"You'll have to hold me."

Botan blinked.

"Obviously you'll have to hold me," Hiei said.

"Obviously," she said.

"Obviously," he confirmed.

Botan nodded.

"Which side is best for you?"

Botan tried to suppress how strange it sounded hearing Hiei ask that question, as though he was asking her which side of the bed she preferred to sleep on.

"It's fine where you are," she said mechanically. "I steer with my right hand, so I can use my left hand to… Hold you…"

"I can tie us together if you can't hold me."

"Please don't do that."

For a long and awkward moment Botan held her position hovering by the tree branch, sitting side-by-side with Hiei. Once she started to feel her heart slow a little she took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"How should we do this?" she asked, daring to look at Hiei from the corner of her eye.

"Just put your arm around me," Hiei gruffly replied, keeping his eyes forward.

"Like-like I'm hugging you?" Botan asked quietly.

"I could use my scarf to tie our arms together or to tie my legs to your oar."

"It's fine."

Botan took another deep breath and held the air in her lungs as she put her arm around Hiei's shoulders. Even though he was wearing a vest and his cloak, his shoulders still felt tense and hard against her arm. She tried not to think about it too much, sighing slowly as she gripped her hand around his shoulder furthest from her.

"That's cute, but we're not on a date, Botan."

Botan froze, silently wondering what she had done wrong.

"Move your hand lower."

"Why?"

"When I fall asleep I'll slouch and you'll drop me. Move your hand lower."

"This feels weird…"

"I can tie us together. Or I can go on alone and leave you here."

Botan opened her fingers and repositioned her hand to Hiei's waist.

"Now fly," he ordered.

"Okay."

Botan started to fly in the direction they had been moving when they had left the forest, waiting for Hiei to tell her otherwise.

"I don't need to sleep for long," he said as they flew. "The journey from here, by air, is quite simple. Do you see the bend in the river in the distance? Fly beyond that and follow the water downstream until you see the land change. Head towards the hills from there, and you will gradually move into higher ground and colder weather. That way ultimately leads to the ice village. I will probably be awake before we even reach the lake though."

"Okay," Botan said.

"Don't let me fall. I'm trusting you."

"Okay…"

* * *

Botan was torn between waking Hiei and letting him sleep. She had several good reasons to wake him and her main reason for not wanting to was fear, but still she dithered. They had passed the bend in the river, followed the water downstream and started into the hillier landscape beyond. As the ground was rising up, so too Botan was forced to fly higher to keep herself airborne, and flying higher meant thinner air and lower temperatures. Hiei had warned that the journey to the ice village would get colder, but Botan had thought that Hiei would awaken before they got that far. She was starting to regret having left all of her clothes back at their would-be campsite, and she was starting to wish that she had not proposed journeying onwards into the night, as in the dark of night, she was forced to fly low to keep her bearings, and as the ground was rocky and rising and she was flying very fast, she kept coming dangerously close to whacking one of her ankles against a jagged boulder.

And, just to make matters worse, there was an increasingly thick cloud cover over the hills ahead, and flying into it was making the air damp – which only made the cold seem colder – and it reduced visibility further still. The only thing stopping Botan from being unbearably cold was the heat of Hiei's body against her.

Which was the reason she was afraid to wake Hiei up.

Despite feeling very uncomfortable about putting her arm around him, Botan was surprised to learn that Hiei did not share her apprehension, as he quickly fell asleep at her side. Within minutes of leaving the campsite, Hiei's head was resting heavily against her shoulder and his breathing had become soft and slow. A few minutes more and his entire weight had been leaning hard against her side, making it difficult for her to keep her arm around him and keep him upright. A few minutes more again and Hiei slumped over, landing with his upper body over her lap. At first she had panicked, expecting him to slide off her oar entirely: but instead he had somehow managed to wind his arms around her leg furthest from him, using her thigh as a pillow, and bringing his legs up to rest his feet against the flat of the blade of her oar. He was incredibly warm and the heat had been quite welcome as far as Botan was concerned, but the fact still remained that, at some point, whether she woke him or he awoke naturally, Hiei would eventually awaken and find himself sleeping in her lap like a child with his mother.

And thinking of Hiei as a child and his mother, Botan had to wonder just how close they were to the ice village. Hiei had implied that if they had maintained the speed they had been travelling at – which, to the best of her knowledge, Botan believed that she had done since leaving the campsite – that it would take the duration of a day's worth of daylight hours to reach the edges of the village, and yet within just a few short hours, she had already reached high ground and freezing fog.

Maybe Hiei had misjudged how close they were or maybe she had been flying faster than she had given herself credit for.

Just as she was starting to think that maybe she had overachieved and reached their goal early, Botan's optimism came to an abrupt end as she inadvertently flew at a large, unforgiving rock. The end of the handle of her oar cleared the rock, but her legs, the bag and the blade of her oar were not so fortunate. Hiei's weight against her thighs kept Botan anchored on the oar after her legs smashed into the rock – something that would otherwise have thrown her from her ride – but when the blade of her oar whacked against the stone Hiei's legs were dislodged and he fell from Botan and the oar, and Botan was then throw over, landing painfully on the rocky hillside, her left shoulder being the first part of her to hit the ground. The momentum of her forwards motion caused her to skid upon landing, and it was only when she tried to get up that she realised she had hurt herself quite badly.

"Hiei!" she cried, trying to look about for him.

She had at least had a slight warning of the impending crash landing, but Hiei had been sleeping and had no such forewarning. When she saw blood on some of the rocks by her feet – some of the very sharp, abrasive rocks – she began to fear that he had cracked his head open or broken a limb.

"Hiei!" she yelled.

"What the hell happened?"

Botan was stunned into silence as Hiei stepped into her line of view, standing on the hillside without so much as a hair out of place or a tear in his clothing.

"I crashed," she meekly replied. "Are you okay?"

"My reflexes aren't as slow as yours," he replied, holding up one hand.

Botan squinted through the murky darkness at what he was holding, eventually realising that it was the velveteen bag of hirui stones she had taken to demon world with her. She peered over her right shoulder and saw then that her oar and the sparse remaining contents of her bag were strewn about the hillside following the collision. She turned her attention back to Hiei in time to see him stuff the money into his pants pocket before crouching down at her side.

"You shouldn't have come with me," he said.

Botan growled and tried to rise again, but pain, weakness and the sound of rushing water in her ears brought her back down to the ground.

"Don't try to move," Hiei told her. "I'll make you comfortable and then I will continue onwards on foot."

"I can still fly," Botan protested.

"Really?"

Hiei pointed at Botan's oar, which was lying dormant further down the hillside; and, as she concentrated on it, Botan realised then that there was a crack in the wood at the point where the blade met the handle.

"I can fix that," she said, turning her attention back to Hiei.

"Maybe so, but I'm not getting on it again," he muttered as he stood up again. "If you couldn't even keep us airborne when it was whole, I don't trust your ability to control it now it's damaged."

Botan sighed and closed her eyes, her body recovering from the initial shock of her accident and starting to relax, making her increasingly aware of just how many parts of her body were in pain in one way or another. She hoped that Hiei would not hold her mistake against her and leave her to find her own way back to spirit world.

* * *

Hiei hurriedly collected the contents of Botan's bag, piling everything up by her damaged oar. As they had collided with something as hard and immobile as a rock, the oar had stopped almost instantly, meaning the contents of the bag had not spread very far; in fact, Hiei noted, the ferry girl had been thrown further from the crash site than any of her belongings had. He had noticed that she abandoned almost all of the things she had been carrying, but as he had not really been au fait with the exact contents of the bag in the first place, it was difficult for him to be sure that he had found everything that had fallen from the bag: particularly so when he noticed how few items remained.

He sat down onto a rock facing the pile, with Botan ahead of him and still in his line of sight, and he spread out what he had recovered. There was a briefcase that looked much like the one the ferry girl had carried around on some of the missions they had worked on together back when Yusuke had still been a spirit detective, there was the bag of money – which Hiei had been careful to grab when everything had been thrown from the oar during the crashlanding – there were two small containers with dried food in them and two empty drinking flasks. And a pair of panties.

Simply out of curiosity – and for no other reason at all – Hiei leaned forwards and pinched his thumb and forefinger into the red lacy material on the ground, slowly lifting it up in the air. He briefly refocused his eyes onto the ferry girl, checking that she was still lying in the position he had left her and therefore could not see him, before turning his hand around in the air in front of his face. He supposed that she would be pleased that she had a clean change of underwear, and that ought to stop her moaning somewhat: but the presence of one random item of her underwear did raise two questions in Hiei's mind. First of all, he wondered why, of everything the old pervert had taken, he had not taken such a suggestive undergarment. And secondly, Hiei thought as he used his other hand to stretch out the panties in front of his face to get a better view of their shape, for a woman who had done nothing but complain about the lack of lovers she had in her life, the ferry girl certainly kept herself dressed in underwear that was clearly more aesthetic than practical.

Hiei wondered if the one item of Botan's underwear that remained had been left by Inuyusha because it was the least alluring item of her underwear that had been in the bag.

Hiei wondered if she was wearing something even more provocative underneath those skin-tight, vaguely transparent, milky-coloured tights she had on: in the prone position she was in, he could probably see for himself if he adjusted his position just slightly.

Hiei threw down the girl's underwear and quickly got to his feet, forcing himself to concentrate on the most salient issue regarding the remaining contents of the bag. He walked over to Botan, moving around into her line of sight and then crouching down so that she could look him in the eye without straining herself.

"Where is the medical kit that was in the bag?" he asked her. "Did you leave it at the campsite?"

Her light blue eyebrows slowly drew together and her lips pouted in a way that did little to ease Hiei's concerns.

"There was a medical kit in my bag?" she asked.

Hiei stood up again, mostly to stop himself from throttling her. He turned away from her, looking back down the hillside. He was relatively impressed to see that Botan had been flying at a decent speed during his slumber, as they had passed the halfway point to the ice village: but that was not entirely a positive thing, as it left him with a difficult decision to make. He glanced over his shoulder at the ferry girl, reminding himself visually that she was quite badly and quite extensively injured – he pushed aside the notion that he had never seen her wounded before she had started getting involved with his problems with Inukasai, and yet since then she had consistently gotten herself injured one way or another – and she needed better care than he could give her with the limited healing powers he had at his disposal. Healing others was a skill that most demons mastered as part of any training regime – even Yusuke had picked up some basic first aid skills – but Hiei had never bothered learning how to do anything other than heal his own wounds, as he had thought learning to help someone else with his energy was a waste of time.

He briefly allowed himself to wonder if that bastard Inukasai had mastered any healing powers.

Hiei shook his head and concentrated on the options remaining to him: he could either leave Botan where she was and run back to the campsite to recover the medical kit or he could carry her on to the ice village. He could easily go back to the campsite and be back within half a day, but during that time the ferry girl was quite exposed and vulnerable where she was, and although they were on a remote and cold path, there was always some idiot climbing the path to try to reach the hiruiseki-making ice maidens, and with her pastel colouring and pale complexion, the ferry girl would probably be mistaken for an ice maiden by one such cretin and get herself abducted. And in the time it would take to go back, get the supplies, return, dress her wounds and get her on her feet, Hiei knew that he could have reached the ice village, even if he was carrying a sleeping woman on his back.

But Hiei did not especially relish the idea of arriving at the ice village – the village populated entirely by women who hated men, and more especially, hated him – with a half-dead woman on his back. But at some point, the ferry girl was going to need help for her injuries, and Hiei could not really leave her where she was for too long, lest her situation worsen; either from her injuries draining her energy or from someone less savoury chancing upon her.

But time was not on Hiei's side: when he had been checking on Yukina before nightfall, he had heard Kurama and Yusuke discussing the matter, and, even though Kurama had not told Kuwabara where Inugoya was or how to get there, Yusuke was trying to convince him otherwise, on the basis that he thought it was safer to let Kuwabara and Yukina go to Inukasai's hometown directly rather than let them stumble around demon world aimlessly trying to find it for themselves. It was already the early hours of Sunday morning, and, after his exam on Thursday, Kuwabara was sure to be eager to set off to visit his new best friend, which meant there was only a day left to find proof that Inukasai was not Yukina's brother before the ice maiden visited the village of the dog demons and started getting too attached to them all. Hiei knew that the potential damage would very soon be irreversible if he did not act quickly; but, under his current circumstances, acting quickly and acting in the best interests of himself and the ferry girl were not necessarily the same thing.

Hiei had always been good at repressing his feelings, but he found it especially hard to suppress the overwhelming emotions of anger and resentment he felt as he packed up Botan's bag and pulled the handle over his neck, hanging the bag over his chest, and then he moved over to the ferry girl herself, hauling her up despite her muted cries of pain.

"You better appreciate what I'm about to do for you," he grumbled as he pulled her good arm over his shoulder and then lifted up her legs in his arms, holding her against his back.

"I'm so sorry Hiei," she mumbled into his ear.

"Don't bother apologising," he grunted. "Just get some rest and try not to look too pathetic when I have to confront the full extent of your wounds."

She made a small noise of confusion but Hiei blocked it out, pointing himself in the direction he was loathed to go and started running, trying not to think too much about what the morning would bring.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Hiei and Botan finally arrive at the ice village, where Botan realises the only thing worse than her injuries from her accident is what the ice maidens do to her while she sleeps. Under pressure from a nosy ice maiden named Nanako, Botan continues the lie of her marriage to Hiei: something she shortly regrets when she sees how the ice maidens receive the news. **Chapter 11: Back to the Start**

 **A/N:** Early warning that the next chapter has some really bad language – not the kind that contains lots of expletives, just the kind that is really bad and also really awkward – when nosy Nanako starts asking about Botan's marriage to Hiei.

Also I am now totally going to write my next fic with Botan's oar never getting harmed in any way possible – and since my next fic will be "The Dark Age", that basically means the fic will include some characters getting broken and killed, but Botan's oar will outlast them all. Like Harry's Brom…


	11. Back to the Start

**A/N:** Regarding this next chapter, you just know that any scene I write in the ice village is going to involve large quantities of socially awkward conversations and happenings.

* * *

 **Chapter 11 – Back to the Start**

Hiei could not decide if the fact that Botan was still sleeping at midday was impressive, if it was an indication of laziness or if she was near-comatose from her injuries; whatever the case, he was glad that she was asleep as he trudged along the final stretch of their journey. He had run for as long as he could before it became impractical to do so, slowly his pace gradually as the need to do so arose. He was close to being able to give her the help that she needed, but he was still dreading what he would need to do before that could happen.

As he lifted a knee to his chest and took a step forwards, pressing his foot down into the snow, Hiei bitterly considered that the last thing he had ever expected to do in his life was to return to the ice village, and for his opening conversation with whoever met him there to be a plea for help. The ice maidens were highly skilled in healing – which Hiei had always thought was hypocritical of the cold-hearted bitches, as healing was a selfless art – and he knew that if they turned their powers on the ferry girl, she would be back to her bouncing, bubbly self in a matter of hours. But getting to that point did mean asking the women who hated him, the women who had cast him out and never welcomed his return, for help; which was something Hiei would not normally have done, especially when he could have just taken the ferry girl back to the campsite, tied up her shoulder and left her to rest and heal herself.

But Hiei was feeling something he never had before – something he suspected was dangerously close to guilt – that the ferry girl, the one person willing to stand by him without question when Inukasai had appeared, had become badly injured trying to help him. He owed it to her to ensure that she was healed quickly. That was why he was taking her to the ice maidens for help.

The fact that getting her back on her feet quickly meant it would be easier to keep her at his side was merely a consequence of his obligation.

It was strange travelling without the sound of her voice.

Hiei lumbered onwards through increasingly deep snow, keeping his head down against the swirling snow on the wind and straining to see through the near whiteout conditions. Being a fire demon and having a naturally high body temperature, the cold usually did little to bother him, but he was starting to feel the cold a little as he was forced to move so slowly through the snow and because he had, some time back on his journey, removed his cloak and scarf and wrapped the ferry girl up in them: because he doubted she would share his tolerance for extreme conditions. As he had hauled her limp body onto his back again he had noticed that the worst of her wounds – the gouge in her left shoulder – had at least stopped bleeding, but as time had passed, bruises had started to appear over her body, an especially large one visible through her pale tights by her left hip and thigh.

It was not just that she had hurt herself travelling with him that bothered Hiei's conscience, it was also the fact that he had been happy when she had crashed. After all, if she had not crashed when she did, he would have awoken to find himself in the prone position he had apparently ended up in during his slumber, and if he had awoken to find himself snuggling into the lap of a ferry girl, his gut reaction would have been to force her to crash land, just so that he would not have to face the awkwardness of admitting to her (or himself) that he had been sleeping in such a way. When he had woken up, only three things had gone through his mind: he was humiliated that he had cuddled into the girl in his sleep; he was relieved that they were crashing and he would not have to explain himself or endure her teasing on the matter; and he needed to catch the bag of money before it burst and spilled all over the hillside.

It never once occurred to him that a creature as fragile as the ferry girl would suffer badly from such a fall and that he really ought to have caught her rather than the money.

He still found it odd that she was even with him. If someone had told him that an imposter was going to turn up and steal his life and that Botan would be the only person who would fight in his corner to defend his honour, he would have thought he was listening to another of Yusuke's misaimed attempts at humour. Her initial reaction to the whole situation had been surprising enough, but the way she had vehemently argued with the dog demons in Inugoya was something Hiei could not have believed if he had not witnessed it with his own eyes. She had clearly been terrified the entire time, but she had never once faltered. Every time Inukasai – or any member of his enormous family – had said something slighting against Hiei, she had leapt to his defensive without hesitation, the passion of vengeful wrath illuminating her eyes and flushing her cheeks in a way that could not be denied as genuine. Hiei had never really thought of Botan as a fiercely loyal ally before, and although she was more of a hindrance than a help on the physical side (her strength was so pitiful, even one of the dog demon pups could have bested her with a single blow) she was quite a welcome aid on the psychological side. It was easier to stay focused on not killing Inukasai and on finding answers when there was someone else around to agree with him that what he was doing was right and what had been done unto him was wrong.

Her loyalty, combined with her surprisingly strong resolve, her obsession with romance and her slightly kinky taste in underwear left Hiei at something of a loss to understand why she thought nobody found her attractive.

Talking to Botan about her insecurities regarding her own attractiveness was really a sore, awkward subject for Hiei – in ways that she would never understand and he could never let her know about – and he hoped that she would let the matter go. She had probably just ended a relationship with some limp-wristed bureaucrat from spirit world with soft hair and delicate fingers and she was probably just indulging in self-pity. If he ignored her long enough she was sure to let the matter drop eventually.

It was a little odd that he had never seen her with a man or heard her mention any particular man, and her earlier comment about being obsessed with romance in other people's lives stemming from the fact that she had none in her own seemed to imply she might have been telling the truth about her lack of suitors, but Hiei tried not to dwell on his curiosity regarding any holes in his logic, as he ran the distinct risk of voicing his questions, and if he showed any interest in the subject, she would surely never let it go.

And if she carried on, she would start asking Hiei about the romantic endeavours in his life, and that was, by far, the part of the inevitable conversation he wanted to avoid the most.

The absolute last thing he needed was Botan thinking that she had just stumbled upon another subject they both strangely agreed and understood each other upon.

Hiei stopped walking as he saw two shadows moving through the haze of snow ahead of him. Focusing his attention a little harder, he could just about make out the final stretch of his journey: the precariously narrow, jagged path that led up to the ice village. The path was covered in snow that lay on top of slippery ice, and the winds crossing the path were violent and blasted from several different directions. The path itself was barely three feet wide and the drop on either side was enough to kill most creatures: hence why the ice maidens chose the cliff at the apex of the path to throw their emiko children from. Crossing the path alone was a treacherous gamble at best, but crossing it with an unconscious patient made the task all the more critical; and so Hiei was unsure if he was relieved or apprehensive to see two ice maidens moving along the path to meet him.

He held his position as they drew nearer, watching as their forms started to become discernible through the snow: and he could not help the look of surprise on his face when he saw that they were both quite young. He had expected one of the elders to come to greet him – if anyone had come at all – as they would surely have sensed his approach and wanted to vanquish him before he reached the edges of their precious home. Instead, two ice maidens who were younger than Hiei himself were moving towards him, their solemn eyes looking directly at him without a hint of either fear or interest. He waited until they were close enough to hear him before addressing them, only mildly surprised to see that the sound of his voice made them stop in their tracks.

"I need passage into your village," he told them. "I need assistance for my companion."

The two ice maidens looked at each other before edging closer to Hiei, leaving the narrow path altogether and peering over his shoulders at the still unconscious ferry girl draped over his back.

"What sort of creature is your companion?" one of the ice maidens asked.

Hiei thought about lying. He thought about telling them that she was some kind of demon or even perhaps a human; but he did not want to risk incurring their distrust and them refusing him help, and so pushed aside his own concerns and pride, and told the truth.

"She's a ferry girl," he admitted. "From spirit world."

"We weren't expecting a visit from spirit world today," the other ice maiden commented.

Hiei thought her answer strange, but when he gave the matter a little thought, he remembered then that Botan had mentioned spirit world maintaining good relations with the ice village, and perhaps being honest about her identity could prove to his advantage.

"She's here on a special mission from Koenma," he tried. "She fell and injured herself on the approach here, Koenma sent me to collect her. She has wounds that require attention. As she was on her way here, you really should consider assisting her."

One of the ice maidens nodded, and although the other did not respond, she did follow when the first ice maiden walked around Hiei's back.

"It's very dangerous to cross this path," one of them said. "It's not so dangerous for us because we are better able to walk in the snow and on the ice. You should let us carry her on from here."

Hiei looked back over his shoulder, reluctantly releasing the ferry girl as the two ice maidens manoeuvred her onto the back of the tallest one.

"You of course must remain here," the shorter one said. "Men are not allowed entry to our village."

"Not to mention you would not survive the crossing from here," the taller one added as she reaffirmed her hold of Botan.

"We will return her here once we have healed her and she has delivered her message from spirit world."

Hiei tried to think of a good reason to argue that point, but decided against it, lest he damage the offer of help for Botan. Instead he nodded his head and pretended not to care as they started back along the path with Botan, the shorter ice maiden walking behind the taller one to help protect the ferry girl from the elements.

He would just watch them with his jagan eye, and as soon as the ferry girl was on her feet, he would charge into the village and start demanding answers.

* * *

Botan moaned in a way that made her hope nobody had heard her. She blinked to focus her eyes, looking about herself and finding that she appeared to be in a cave of some sort. The last thing she could remember was falling asleep on Hiei's back, so she supposed he had taken her into a cave to camp for the night before reaching the ice village in the morning.

Though she was sure she had fallen asleep in the early hours of Sunday morning, which left her wondering if she had somehow slept all the way through to Monday morning if that were the case.

She made to lift herself up onto her elbows, moaning again in a way she was not proud of when her left shoulder locked painfully after only the slightest movement and her head thumped back down against the pillow. As she lay trying to ignore the dull and persistent pain in her shoulder, Botan wondered when Hiei had found a pillow for her. Peering down at herself, she then wondered when he had found a fleece blanket and a waterproof quilt, painstakingly embroidered with blue flowers and snowflakes. She wondered what she was lying on, as she seemed to be elevated from the ground as though she were lying on an actual bed. The cave she was in was remarkably clean too. And white. There were two sources of light, both emitting from mounted ornate oil lamps, the likes of which Botan had never seen before in demon world. There was even a rug on the floor and a glass shelf adorned with pretty little ornaments carved from wood or else compiled of pebbles and shells.

Botan gulped, a sweat breaking out across her forehead, despite the oppressive cold in the air around her: she was in the ice village.

Somehow, despite the ice village having seemed far away before she had fallen asleep, Botan had awoken to find herself not only arrived at her destination but also in a bed, in what seemed to be the igloo snow-house of an ice maiden. She wondered whose house it was. Was it Hiei's mother's house? Was it Inukasai's mother's house? It seemed too comfortable and homely to be a prison – though it was not beyond the realm of Botan's panicked pessimism to assume that she had been arrested by the ice maidens. She wondered how Hiei had managed to get there so quickly, through freezing fog and with her sleeping on his back. She wondered where Hiei was.

Botan made a renewed effort to get up. Without Hiei, she was in a very dangerous situation. She knew that Yukina was not a typical representation of the average ice maiden, and that most of the residents of the glacial village were at best indifferent and at worst vicious, and without Hiei to protect and advise her, she could not remain lying in a bed waiting for trouble to come and find her. She grabbed the duvet with her right hand, gripping it as firmly as she could, and hauled herself up into a sitting position, all the while trying to keep her left arm and shoulder as still as possible. Once she was up she took a few deep breaths to calm herself and wait for the pain to subside enough that she could continue, before using her good hand to desperately claw aside the bedding. Once she had uncovered her legs she swung them over the edge of the bed, aiming her feet for the rug. At a stretch she reached her goal, and she managed to stand up, on the rug.

When she stood upright, Botan realised a series of things, each more horrifying than the last. First of all, she could not stand fully upright because she was taller than the highest point of the room, and with her sore shoulder hindering the mobility of her neck, she was forced to bend her knees to compensate and keep her head straight. Secondly, she was wearing a very exquisitely made – if very plain of design – silk kimono, over a soft fleece body wrap; she even had woollen socks on. Whilst she was happy to have a change of clothes, she wondered where the clothes had come from, and, far more pressing an issue, Botan wondered who had undressed her and dressed her into the clothes she was suddenly wearing. And the third and final thing Botan noticed caused her to at first hold her breath in disbelief. Touching her good hand to her head – a self-conscious action she had inadvertently carried out at first – she noticed that her hair felt different. After grabbing at the back of her head a few times and remembering how to breathe again – only to commence hyperventilating – Botan began looking desperately about the room, shortly locating what she sought: a mirror mounted on the wall. She crept to the edge of the rug and squatted down lower to look at her reflection, the visual confirmation of what she had felt eliciting a scream of dismay that she could not contain the volume or the length of.

When an ice maiden burst into the room, staring up at her with wide, fearful eyes, rather than sensibly remember her situation and ask the questions she knew, deep down, that she really ought to, Botan yelled out the one question that was running rampant around her mind.

"What happened to my hair?"

"We had no choice," the ice maiden replied, holding up a small, delicate hand as though she thought the gesture might calm Botan somehow.

"Where is it?" Botan cried.

"Your hair?" the ice maiden asked.

"No, the great city of Atlantis!" Botan snapped back.

"It sounds like that would be the home of the water demons."

"I was being sarcastic! Where is my hair?"

"We had to cut it off."

"I can see that! Where is it?"

"…We can't reattach it. It will regrow though."

Botan sighed, looking at her reflection again. As she had been sleeping on her hair, it was hard for her to tell if it had been cut into a flattering style or not: all she could clearly make out was that the majority of it had been cut off, leaving it even shorter than Keiko's had been after she had rescued Yusuke from the fire.

"Was your hair the source of your power?"

Botan shifted her eyes to the ice maiden at her side, giving her what she hoped was a disapproving look that Hiei would have been proud of.

"There was a lot of blood in your hair, it was badly knotted and some sections were frozen from the journey up," the ice maiden added. "There really isn't much we can do for blood frozen into hair other than to cut it out."

"I could have soaked it out in one of the hot springs I was supposed to be getting use of before I came here…" Botan grumbled.

"Are you feeling better now?"

Botan ran her eyes over the ice maiden addressing her, and in doing so she started to think that maybe she understood a little better the confusion there might have been regarding the identities of Hiei's and Inukasai's mothers: the girl before her was the same height and build as Yukina, with the same high and broad cheekbones, the same small, slightly upturned nose, the same heart-shaped lips that almost gave the impression of a permanent pout, and her hair was that same ultra-fine texture. Her colouring was only marginally different from Yukina's: her hair was, Botan noticed with a hint of bitterness, a powder blue colour and her eyes were a light violet. But, had the girl introduced herself as Yukina's sister, Botan would have struggled to find a good reason to question her on the matter.

"Are all the ice maidens as short as you?"

Botan wondered if she had been spending too much time around Hiei: usually she had more tact than to be so blunt and direct.

"With a few exceptions, yes."

Botan was equally as surprised that the ice maiden answered her without batting an eyelid, as though being blunt and direct was an accepted social custom in her village.

"My name is Nanako," she offered. "My friend and I met you on your approach here: your double-agent servant was carrying you here. He said Koenma had sent you here on business."

"My double-agent servant?" Botan echoed.

Botan momentarily forgot about her shoulder and even her hair as she tried to figure out what Nanako was talking about.

"Oh, you mean Hiei!" she blurted out as the realisation occurred to her.

"He didn't give his name," Nanako replied.

"Hiei isn't a double-agent or a servant!" Botan quickly corrected her.

"He said Koenma asked him to assist you, as part of your mission."

Botan paused, realising then that Nanako had twice mentioned a mission from Koenma: had Hiei somehow found out about the mission Koenma had sent her on? Perhaps he had, and when he had – without her conscious to explain it to him in context – he had assumed the worst and abandoned her at the ice village to confront Inukasai alone with the truth about his mother.

"Where is Hiei now?" she asked quietly.

"I'm sorry, we cannot grant men access to our village," Nanako replied. "He said he would wait for you at the end of the access path."

Botan wondered what that meant.

"He said you're a ferry girl, is that right?" Nanako asked.

Botan found Nanako's mannerisms to be really disconcerting: she looked her straight in the eye as she spoke but there was no hint of emotion in her expression or tone.

"Yes, I am a ferry girl," Botan slowly replied. "My name is Botan."

"It's nice to meet you, Botan," Nanako replied, bowing her head but otherwise looking as though she could not care any less whether she had just met someone nice or not. "Welcome to our village."

"Where's Hiei?" Botan asked again.

"He's waiting for you at the end of the access path," Nanako said again. "I told him once you were well enough to complete your mission, you would return for him, but that he could not come any further into our village."

Botan narrowed her eyes, semblances of her deductive skills returning to her as she repeated the ice maiden's words inside her head.

"My mission in this village?" she asked.

"Yes," Nanako replied. "That's why you're here, isn't it? Koenma sent you to us on a special mission? That was what Hiei told us."

"Yes, that's right," Botan said. "I'm here in a special mission. I need to ask some questions about the emikos born in your village."

Nanako gasped and, for the first time since she had entered the room, a hint of emotion appeared in her eyes.

"I need you to let Hiei enter the village," Botan added.

She was almost sure that Hiei did not know the truth about her mission from Koenma, that he had instead merely told a lie to Nanako in order to allow a ferry girl passage into the ice village: and so she therefore felt safe to request that Hiei join her.

"Men aren't allowed," Nanako replied, her eyes still tinged with fear following Botan's use of the word "emiko".

"But Hiei's different," Botan said. "He's a perfectly decent guy, I promise you."

"Even if he is your servant, or a double-agent for spirit world, the elders would never allow it," Nanako said.

"He's my husband."

Botan pulled a face at her own reflection. She suddenly understood why Hiei had lied about her being his wife: it was a surprisingly easy and convenient argument to make when in a pressing situation.

"Your husband?"

Botan slowly moved her eyes back to Nanako, feeling mostly afraid to see the dark interest suddenly giving depth to Nanako's face.

"You married a man?" she asked.

"Yes, I did," Botan lied mechanically.

"What's that like?"

Botan wanted to smile at the hint of scandalous fascination animating Nanako's features; and she decided that since she had gone as far as she had anyway, there was no real harm in continuing.

"Why it's lovely," she said. "Hiei is a wonderful husband. He's very romantic and he thinks I'm pretty and he never thinks that I say and do things without thinking."

That was quite a stretch of the truth, Botan thought to herself, but Nanako did not know her well enough to see that, and so she made no attempt to qualify her words.

"Do you… Do you have carnal relations with him?"

"Yes…?"

"What's that like?"

"It's, uh… It's lovely?"

"So have you… Have you seen it?"

Botan regained some of her confidence then, her face twisting.

"Seen what?" she asked.

Nanako checked over her shoulder before stepping more fully into the room and quietly closing the door behind herself. She then crept closer to Botan, leaning towards her in a way that made Botan bend her knees further, bringing her ear level with Nanako's mouth, allowing the ice maiden to whisper her next question; and even though she whispered her words so close to Botan's ear that Botan could feel the warmth of her breath on her skin, the ice maiden spoke so quietly, Botan barely made her words out.

"Well-well he is my husband," she replied, hoping she did not look as embarrassed as she felt.

"What does it look like?" Nanako asked, her interest turning almost into a look of fevered hunger. "Is it ugly? The elders say it's ugly, but what would they know? They've never seen one. What does it feel like? Have you touched it with your hands?"

Botan chewed hard on her lip and tried not to picture herself putting her hands on any part of Hiei's anatomy, far less the one part of his body that Nanako was focusing far too much attention on. It was not just that she was talking about it that was making Botan uncomfortable, it was that she looked far too much like Yukina, and it was like listening to Yukina talk about it.

"I really need Hiei to be here," she said, hoping to bring the conversation back onto the subject of getting Hiei into the ice village.

"Why?" Nanako asked. "Do you need to fornicate with him?"

Botan's jaw dropped, but Nanako appeared not to notice just how blunt and tactless she was being. When someone knocked softly on the door Botan was relieved, as Nanako looked panicked, as though she had been caught discussing something taboo, and the presence of someone else might finally stop her, Botan thought. Nanako cautiously opened the door and peered out of the room before taking a step back. Another ice maiden entered the room, bowing her head at Botan as Nanako closed the door behind her.

"I came to see how you are feeling," she said.

Botan started to tell her that she was feeling much better, but stopped short in abject horror as Nanako spoke over her.

"Botan is married to that man who was carrying her," she said. "And she's seen his penis!"

Botan grinned nervously when the other ice maiden turned to her with the same look of shocked curiosity that Nanako had been wearing earlier.

"You know," she began slowly. "If you let Hiei into the village, maybe I could tell you more about… Him…"

"Really?" the second ice maiden asked.

"Could you get him to show us his penis?" Nanako asked.

"Absolutely no way!" Botan yelped.

"Why not?" Nanako asked.

Botan was not sure which horrified her more: the fact that Nanako would ask for Hiei to expose himself to her or the fact that she failed to understand why asking such a question was immoral.

"Because he's my husband, that's why!" Botan snapped. "And any intimate part of his body is for my eyes only!"

"That doesn't seem very fair," Nanako said, rather matter-of-factly. "You've already seen his penis. We've never seen a penis before."

"Well that's not my problem!" Botan argued.

"I think she's touched his penis too," Nanako said to her friend.

Botan gasped.

"Well that's really not fair," Nanako's friend said. "She's from spirit world, they have men there. She's probably seen thousands of penises."

"Hey!" Botan yelped.

"She doesn't think it's a big deal because she looks at penises all the time," Nanako said.

"You're making me sound bad!" Botan protested.

"If your husband married you, he must not mind women seeing his penis," Nanako said.

"Exactly," her friend said with a nod of her head. "So he should let us have a look at his penis."

"You girls use that p-word far too freely!" Botan yelled. "It's vulgar and you should be ashamed of yourselves! Do your mother's know you speak this way?"

"Our mother's don't even know we let you in here," Nanako said.

"If they did, they wouldn't have let us take you this far," Nanako's friend added.

"We did you a favour," Nanako said. "Why won't you do us a favour in return and let us see your husband's penis?"

"I already told you why!" Botan snapped. "Now stop asking about it!"

"Have you had his penis inside you?"

Botan squawked out a noise of horrified, embarrassed disbelief: which drew three more young ice maidens into the room. Nanako and her friend looked suddenly guilty and Botan felt relieved: even if the new arrivals had come to oust her from the village, that was surely a better fate than listening to two girls talking about Hiei's manhood. One of the newly arrived ice maidens – who was the tallest and looked to be the oldest of the group – turned stern blue-green eyes to Botan.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked harshly.

"We were talking about penises," Nanako plainly answered her.

"That's what I thought!" the older ice maiden said, giving Botan an even sterner look. "Why didn't anyone tell me? I want to know about penises just as much as the next girl!"

Botan groaned and wilted, the pain in her shoulder suddenly seeming insignificant and her trip to Inugoya suddenly seeming easy and uneventful.

* * *

In his boredom – and because, without his cloak or scarf, the cold had become quite invasive – Hiei had melted himself a hole through the snow and ice to sit in. He told himself he had melted the hole because he wanted to sit on the ground rather than the snow, and not that he had melted the hole because it gave him a place to huddle over for warmth out of sight of anyone who might think him pathetic for huddling over for warmth. With the rotten weather that surrounded the ice village and darkened out the sky, it was almost impossible to tell what time of day it was: though by his own best estimation, he guessed it to be early evening. He could use his jagan eye to check, but he did not want to waste energy, as he suspected he might need it to keep warm if he had to wait much longer for the ice maidens to finish healing the ferry girl.

He supposed that he could use his jagan to check on the progress of Botan's recovery: but for some reason – other than his desire to conserve energy – he could not quite bring himself to do so. He could not quite shake the idea that she might be more badly hurt than he had suspected, that her recovery might be longer and more complicated than he had assumed, even with the assistance of the ice maidens, and, as she had ended up in that situation because of him, he could not help but think that maybe he was to blame for her suffering.

No, Hiei thought to himself, he was not to blame for what had happened to either Botan or himself: it was all Inukasai's fault. The sooner he could safely and comprehensively expose the faker as a fake, Hiei would delight in ensuring Inukasai's demise: either by a slow and painful death or by handing him to Mukuro. Just as Hiei was starting to enjoy that thought however, he sensed movement on the village path. He stood up and looked out through the snowstorm, seeing then that there were a series of shadows moving along the path towards him.

Why were there so many of them?

Hiei stepped up out of the hole he had created, readying himself for a confrontation: surely the young ice maidens who had taken Botan had reported to the elders that there was an emiko on the edges of their village and they were coming to see him off. He tensed – without letting his energy rise – in preparation for a battle of some kind, as he expected things to get ugly verbally if not also physically.

Hiei grunted out a noise of surprise and lost all focus when the group reached the point where he could see their faces, and he saw that the tallest of the group, leading the way towards him, was Botan.

She was inexplicably dressed the same as the other ice maidens – in one of the high quality but highly simplistic kimonos the ice maidens were so proud of making, that looked beautiful without looking flashy – and she was accompanied by five ice maidens, all younger than Yukina and including the two who had initially approached him on the passageway and taken Botan to the village. She looked slightly shifty, but despite that and in spite of the howling gales, snow and ice underfoot and the relentless snowfall, she was walking steadily and without any great effort, which at least meant that she was in better physical condition than she had been when they had first arrived at the ice village.

However, any relief Hiei had allowed himself to feel at seeing that the ferry girl would not suffer long term for what she had been through was short-lived as she suddenly broke into a run – or as close to a run as she could manage in deep snow and wearing a kimono – the look on her face suggesting to him that she was about to do something idiotic.

"Oh Hiei, my darling husband, I'm so relieved that you are alright."

Her tone sounded sarcastic, but her satire was the least of Hiei's concerns as she threw her arms around his shoulders and then groaned into his ear in a most unpleasant way.

"My shoulder still hurts, I shouldn't have done that," she mumbled into his hair.

Hiei peered over her shoulder as she continued to cling onto him, watching as the five ice maidens edged closer, looking back at him with a level of curiosity not normally displayed by such a detached race of demons.

"I had to tell them you were my husband," Botan whispered, her voice still aimed into his hair. "I didn't think you'd mind, because you told the dog demons I was your wife. Also, they kept asking about your penis."

Hiei stiffened, the curious way the ice maidens were regarding him suddenly seeming sinister.

"It's alright Hiei, I've told them you won't show it to them," the ferry girl added.

"Hn?" Hiei grunted angrily.

"It's none of their business, you're my husband, and I'm not the sharing type. Also it's humiliating for you – oh, not that I think you're ashamed of your body in any way – because you don't have any reason to be – not that I know – well, there was that one time during the dark tournament, but that was all Shizuru's idea, and I only caught the briefest glimpse and I thought it wrong at the time but sometimes I can't say no to peer pressure – I just meant that you're not some chunk of meat for them to ogle – not that I mean that your private parts are like a chunk of meat, I mean that you are like a chunk of meat – not like a chunk of meat, I mean – no, wait, I–"

"Botan?"

"Yes."

"Stop talking now."

"Okay."

Botan held onto Hiei for a little longer before gradually leaning back and sliding her arms from him. She gave him a wary, nervous look before turning to the ice maidens.

"Follow us," one of them said. "Try to stay close, the path can be dangerous to newcomers."

Hiei felt Botan take a tight hold of one of his hands and he vaguely wondered why: after all, she had managed the walk down the path unaided, and it was harder to descend the path than it was to ascend it. However, he was a little concerned about what she had said about the ice maidens wanting to see him naked, a concern backed up by the way the girls were still watching him, and so he kept a hold of her hand in the hope that they would leave him alone if they thought he was married.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Hiei and Botan spend an awkward night in the ice village sharing a bed and pretending to be the married couple they proclaimed to be, followed by breakfast with Rui, who starts to tell them some conflicting information about Inukasai and Yukina. However, just when things start to seem hopeless for Hiei, Botan uses her meddling ways to save the day. **Chapter 12 – Freckle, Freckle**


	12. Freckle, Freckle

**Chapter 12 – Freckle, Freckle**

"Is there a reason you've assimilated?"

Hiei watched Botan expectantly from the corner of his eye as she tried not to look as guilty as she so obviously was.

"I woke up in these clothes," she whispered back to him.

Hiei tried not to think too much about that reply: both picturing it and imagining how awkward it must have been for the ice maidens was difficult.

"These girls are a little frisky."

Hiei had always hated the word "frisky", largely because there were so many possible definitions of the word, and none of them good.

"They're not really how I expected them to be."

Hiei grunted in frustration, watching an ice maiden hurry into her house fearfully as she sighted him and another young ice maiden cautiously move over to join the group walking behind him. He was not sure what the ferry girl had expected the ice maidens to be like – she had probably assumed that they were all like Yukina – but he could not ignore the fact that something in the ice village was different, even from since his last visit there when he had learned of his mother's death and Yukina's existence.

"They're very direct and blunt and not very aware of socially acceptable norms," Botan whispered.

"I'm aware of that," Hiei whispered back to her. "That was why I didn't bother killing them all when I found this place again: such unfeeling creatures aren't worth the effort."

Hiei tried to ignore the odd way the ferry girl was looking at him following his last statement, but when she started squeezing at his hand and making little sotto voce humming noises his irritation got the better of him and he looked up at her expectantly.

"Direct and blunt and not very aware of socially acceptable norms," she whispered as their eyes met.

"I heard you the first time," Hiei growled back. "I'm not deaf."

"But you said those were the reasons you disliked the ice maidens."

Hiei really did not understand why she was continuing to press the matter when he thought that his tone of voice and choice of words had made it clear to her that the conversation was over.

"And those reasons you gave are things that could be said to describe you too, Hiei."

Hiei bared his teeth at her, but she still looked more confused and curious than fearful.

"Maybe you inherited those qualities from your mother," she suggested.

"Maybe you should shut-up before someone overhears you."

Botan looked a little displeased with Hiei's response, but, to his relief, she did stop talking, she stopped pulling faces at him and she stopped trying to get his attention, which allowed him to concentrate on his surroundings. Something was definitely different in the ice village. It was not a massive change, but it felt significant despite its subtlety. It had only been a few years since Hiei had last visited the glacial rock that had been his birthplace, so for a change to have occurred in such a short space of time, something quite important must have happened; after all, from his birth to his return to the village – a time period of more than four decades – nothing had changed there. He had always thought that nothing ever would change about the place, that Yukina was the one exception, the only resident of the village who had somehow seen sense and decided to leave and make a better, more honest and braver life for herself; but the strangely confident girls walking around him contradicted that theory.

The girls around him were all very young – too young to remember or even have been alive when Hiei had been born – and so it was possible that their confidence stemmed from their ignorance regarding the potential for an emiko to be born into their clan. However, from the scant fragments of conversations he had overhead as an infant, combined with snippets of information he had overheard Yukina relaying to her female friends in the living world, Hiei had always believed that the elders of the ice village were always very strict with the younger residents, keeping them indoors more and secluding them even more than they secluded themselves, partly to keep them from getting into trouble and also to acclimatise them to a life of isolation.

And that, Hiei concluded, was the biggest reason why it was so odd that an ever-increasing number of young ice maidens were joining him as he passed through their home.

Hiei was glad when the ice maidens finally led him and Botan into a house – though he was less than pleased that the group who had been following them also entered the house – and he was away from the watchful eyes of those he had known would have been spying on him as he walked by.

"You can stay here tonight," one of the ice maidens said.

Botan turned to Hiei, giving him a look that he thought seemed inappropriate – despite going to the ice village having been her idea, she looked as though the last thing she wanted to do was stay the night there – but Hiei chose to ignore her.

"I won't share a room with so many others," Hiei said, sending a pointed look over his shoulder at the group of young ice maidens behind him.

"I understand," the ice maiden replied, bowing her head politely.

She began herding the others out of the house, despite some of them seeming very unwilling to leave, and as she did so, Hiei felt Botan tug on his hand with surprising strength. He turned to her, finding the look on her face even more desperate than before.

"We can't stay here!" she whispered urgently.

"We don't have any other choice," Hiei whispered back. "We'll get what we need in the morning and we can leave after that."

"You don't understand, it's Nanako, she's a… She's the one who keeps talking about your…"

Hiei frowned, waiting for the ferry girl to start making sense: but instead she gasped, her eyes moving to something behind him. He turned to see just one ice maiden remaining.

"My name is Nanako," she said as he looked at her. "I usually share this house with my friend Akutsu, but she's staying somewhere else this week, so you may take her room."

"We don't want to be a bother," Botan said, laughing nervously. "We can easily–"

"Where is your friend this week?" Hiei asked, his voice silencing Botan.

"She's staying in the temple," Nanako replied.

Nanako's answer was succinct enough for Hiei: the temple was the largest ice building in the ice village, located at the very centre of the village, and it was the place the women went to give birth. They had a tradition of gathering a group of around five women – including the one who was due to have her baby – each with different roles in the birthing ceremony, and they all spent upwards of seven days in the temple, not emerging again until the day after the baby was born. It was the closest thing the ice maidens did to having any sort of gathering or celebration.

"That sounds interesting."

Hiei gave Botan a hard look, hoping that she would retract her comment; but instead she kept her eyes on Nanako, her earlier concern suddenly replaced by the one emotion that over-rode all of the others she ever felt and that she seemed unable to control: curiosity.

"The temple is a sacred place for us," Nanako replied. "It's hard to explain it to an outsider: I suppose it's like your bedroom."

Hiei slowly turned his attention back to Nanako, finding himself almost as overcome by curiosity as the ferry girl was: he hoped her nosiness was not a contagious trait that he would contract by spending so much time around her.

"We go to the temple to welcome a new baby into our clan," Nanako added. "Like how you go to bed together every night and do things that make babies."

Hiei slowly moved his eyes back to Botan, surprised to find her already glaring at him with the sort of accusatory and irate look he had been about to direct at her.

"Akutsu's bed is really only meant for one, but it is big enough for two," Nanako continued. "I have heard that fornication can be quite loud, and you should know that not everybody in this village agrees with it, so try to be quiet."

Hiei, when he saw that Nanako was unwaveringly serious in everything she had just said – which, he noticed, she had said with alarming ease and more confidence than he could muster to talk about such matters – turned his attention to Botan again, finding her giving him one of her "I told you so" looks.

"Yes Hiei," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Nanako doesn't want to be kept awake listening to the sounds of our love-making, so you'd better keep all your moaning and groaning to a minimum. Think you can manage that?"

Hiei turned sharply back to Nanako.

"We need a moment alone," he said.

Nanako glanced back and forth between Hiei and Botan.

"You are ready to fornicate already?" she asked. "Even though Botan is still recovering from her injuries and Hiei just came in out of the cold? I have been told the cold causes the penis to shrink, doesn't that affect your ability to–"

"I need a moment alone with my wife right now!" Hiei roared.

Nanako bowed her head, her expression still entirely impassive, and held out a hand towards an open doorway. Hiei reaffirmed his hold of Botan's hand and dragged her after him as he stomped into the room Nanako had indicated, closing the door behind them and then rounding on Botan in his fury.

"What the hell is this?" he hissed.

"Your ancestors are all perverts Hiei," the ferry girl flatly replied. "Did you know that about them? It's no wonder poor Yukina didn't fit in here, she's nothing like that at all."

"No, you idiot, the ice maidens are not perverts obsessed with male anatomy they know nothing about!" Hiei retorted. "In fact, most of them never even think about men, let alone their bodies, and even fewer of them understand what the word "fornication" means!"

"I'm getting the impression that you think this is all somehow my fault," Botan replied, her tone inappropriately sardonic.

"It is your fault!" Hiei replied. "I left you alone with them for half a day – most of which time you probably spent unconscious – and look what you did to them! Why did you tell them I was your husband?"

"Why did you tell Inukasai I was your wife?"

"That was a completely different situation!"

"Yukina is a very traditional girl, with old-fashioned morals, and I thought the other girls here would be the same – I realise now how silly that was, but that's beside the point – and I didn't think they would approve of me staying here with you unless we were married. They were suspicious of you and they thought you were a spy spirit world had hired, and the only way I could convince them that you were not a spy and that you should be allowed to enter the village was to tell them that you were my husband!"

"Couldn't you have fabricated a more believable lie?"

Botan's jaw dropped as though Hiei had just said something shocking and offensive.

"Nobody would ever believe that a ferry girl would marry a demon, think about it!" he added.

"If that's the way you feel, why did you marry me in the first place?" she asked.

"It was the convenient thing to do at the time," Hiei replied through tightly clenched teeth.

"A marriage of convenience?" Botan echoed. "That's deplorable! I can't believe you only married me because it was convenient and because of my breasts!"

"Not this again!" Hiei groaned. "You know, most women would be pleased and take it as a compliment that men notice the size and shape of her assets."

"Shape? You said it was all about the size!"

"The things I'm saying to you are complimentary things: what is wrong with you that you are getting so offended by it?"

Hiei froze as he saw Botan flinch, her eyes staring at something to one side of her. He turned his head, growling in alarm as his eyes landed on Nanako, standing in the suddenly open doorway with a tray of tea.

"How long have you been standing there?" he demanded.

"I suppose this is what they call a "lover's tiff", yes?" she responded.

"How long have you been standing there, Nanako?" Botan asked. "Because it's actually very rude to listen in on other people's private conversations: especially if that conversation happens to be a lover's tiff!"

"That's rich, coming from you," Hiei growled at her.

"I didn't hear very much of your quarrel," Nanako said.

Hiei allowed himself to relax a little in relief: but his respite was mercilessly brief.

"But you are right about the size and shape of her breasts."

Hiei turned to Botan and arched his eyebrows.

"I didn't show them to her if that's what you mean!" she snapped.

"Wow."

Hiei and Botan both turned to Nanako at her unenthusiastic uttering.

"So what they say about married couples understanding each other without even needing to speak their thoughts is true," the ice maiden said, her tone no more impressed then before.

"You're not helping," Hiei told her.

"I thought I was," she replied, a vague hint of obstinacy entering her tone. "I've seen your wife naked. I undressed her to check the extent of her wounds."

"It was you who changed my clothes?" Botan said.

"Yes, it was," Nanako replied. "I did want to ask you once you were well enough: why are your breasts as large as they are?"

"What?"

Hiei suppressed the urge to grin: at least now the ferry girl was starting to feel as uncomfortable as he was.

"Is it something in your diet?" Nanako continued, oblivious as ever to her lack of social grace. "None of the women in our village are anywhere close to your size – one of the girls said it was because of your diet, another said it was because you're taller and your breasts are just proportionate for your height, but–"

"Other girls?" Hiei echoed.

Hiei tried to ignore the way Botan gave him an odd look following his outburst.

"I told them what I saw," Nanako replied. "Not that I needed to: it's obvious no matter what she wears."

"Yes, you're right," he agreed.

Hiei seriously began to wonder if Botan's bad habit of putting her foot in her mouth was catching, as even though he was typically quite tactless, he could usually at least keep his thoughts to himself.

"Shall I just leave the tea here for you?" Nanako offered, moving the tray towards the nightstand.

"Yes, that's fine," Botan answered her.

The ice maiden placed down the tray, bowed her head one last time and then left the room. Hiei waited until he was sure that she was out of earshot before turning to Botan.

"You need to come up with a less shallow reason for having married me than my bra size, Hiei," she warned. "Otherwise you'll be sleeping on the floor tonight."

Hiei narrowed his eyes, regaining some sense of self-control.

"First of all, we are not actually married," he said quietly. "Secondly, you should be flattered that everybody notices your womanly body – weren't you complaining earlier that you thought nobody found you attractive? And lastly, I will be sleeping on the floor tonight anyway, because of my first point, which was – since you seem to keep forgetting – that we are not actually married!"

"It's not fair that you got to tell the dog demons that you had a wife if I can't tell the ice maidens that I have a husband!"

"This isn't a competition or a game!"

"You hurt my feelings when you tell people you only married me for my chest!"

Hiei and Botan both paused, each noticing then that they were still holding hands.

"Let's just have some tea," Hiei suggested gruffly.

"Fine, but you have to sleep in that bed with me tonight."

Hiei, who had only just released Botan's hand, paused again to look her in the eye.

"What did you just say?" he asked.

"It's too cold here, my shoulder still hurts, and you're so warm all the time," she replied. "Also, I think Nanako and her friends might sneak in her during the night, and if we're not in the bed together they might get suspicious about our validity as a married couple."

"I don't care if they find out we're not really a married couple," Hiei pointed out.

"If the girls do sneak in here, they'll be doing it because they want to steal a look at the contents of your underpants."

"I'm sleeping on the left side of the bed."

"That's what I thought."

Botan moved over and began pouring some tea into the bowls Nanako had provided. Hiei looked over at the bed – which was really only big enough for two ice maidens the size of Nanako or Yukina – and then back at Botan.

"There's nothing sexual about us sharing a bed together, you understand," he said as she passed him a bowl of tea.

"Of course not," she replied.

"There's nothing sexual about me at all."

Hiei began sipping at his tea, only realising the error of his words when he noticed Botan staring at him curiously over her own bowl of tea. He turned his back on her in the hope that she would forget what he had said: but given her persistence to pry into anything and everything, he doubted he would be so fortunate.

* * *

Botan took a sip of her tea, surprised to find that it was quite fragrant. She had expected it to have been made from the plants in the ice village and to be bland in flavour, but it was either an imported blend or the plants in the ice village were more exotic than the norm for such a cold climate. She wondered if maybe the ice maidens had ways of growing plants intended for warmer climates: but she quickly pushed aside that thought as she saw Hiei twitch. He had turned his back to her, but that did not change the fact that he had just said something very unusual. In fact, she thought, it only made his words all the more suspicious.

At first, she had thought that he had misspoken in his anger, but he had done nothing to correct himself or retract his statement, instead turning away and pretending he had never said it. She was almost sure he had misspoken, as there really was no other logical explanation for what he had said, other than perhaps he was just really uncomfortable talking about his lovelife. She knew that, as his friend, she ought to leave him be if that were the case: but she could not help but wonder why someone like Hiei would be secretive about his romantic conquests. He was so confident about everything else in his life, and although he was perhaps not the sort for excessive affectionate gestures (like Kuwabara), he surely had plenty of experience with females. In fact, Botan thought as she sipped at her tea again, she had always suspected that a large part of why Hiei was so critical of Kuwabara's excessive romantic gestures was not because they were directed at Yukina – because after all, if Hiei really had disapproved of Kuwabara wooing his sister, he would have intervened by one means or another – but rather Hiei criticised it because he thought it ridiculous. Hiei was too cool to wear "the fighting headband of love" – probably yet another reason why Hiei hated Inukasai so much – and he was too cool to go over the top trying to impress a girl.

But it was still odd that he had specifically said the words "there's nothing sexual about me at all".

"I'm going to sleep now, you should do the same."

Botan watched Hiei replace his empty bowl onto the tea tray and then climb into the bed. It was quite a small bed – thankfully it was not a short bed, which was surprising, as all the ice maidens were quite short – and when Hiei lay down, Botan realised that she would be forced to lie quite close to him. She thought that maybe she should not have asked him to share the bed with her, but the alternative was waking in the middle of the night to find Nanako and her friends leering at Hiei as he slept on the floor, which was something Botan was as keen to avoid as Hiei was.

And so, after taking a deep breath and trying to think calming thoughts, Botan finished her tea and slid into the bed, positioning herself to lie as far away from Hiei as she possibly could without risking falling off the bed. He had at least lain down on top of the bedsheets, so it was not quite so intimate as she had feared it would be lying next to him; but a quick glance out the corner of her eye reminded her that he was still lying very close to her.

She closed her eyes and tried to relax: but it very quickly became clear to her that she would not be getting much sleep that night.

* * *

Botan flinched, her eyes snapping open. Nanako's expressionless face was starting to remind her of something from a horror movie, and waking up to find the ice maiden standing in the middle of the room staring at her was not the best start to the day that the ferry girl could have conceived of. The only thing worse than the way Nanako was standing perfectly still and staring silently at her was the way Hiei was glaring at her. Botan flinched again and then hurriedly retracted her arm, which had been draped over Hiei, pinning him onto the bed at her side.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," Nanako said.

"Yes you did," Hiei muttered moodily.

"Akutsu is still in the temple, but I managed to find someone else who may be able to help you."

Botan's concerns about the way Hiei was glaring at her vanished then: she had never actually told Nanako why she was visiting the ice village, so how had the ice maiden known who would be able to help them?

"When you're ready, I'll be waiting outside," Nanako continued. "I'll take you to the librarian. She'll serve us breakfast, and she should be able to help you with your mission for spirit world."

Botan relaxed slightly. Asking a librarian to help seemed like an innocent – and sensible – thing for Nanako to have done, even without knowing why Botan was in the ice village in the first place.

"Thank you, we'll be out shortly," Botan said to Nanako.

Nanako bowed her head and left the room. Botan waited until the door was shut before moving her eyes back to Hiei.

"Why were you touching me?" he asked the moment their eyes met.

"I didn't mean to!" Botan protested. "I must have put my arm over you in my sleep. Why didn't you move if you didn't like it?"

"I didn't like it!" Hiei hissed. "And I couldn't move, you put your left arm over me, I didn't know if moving either myself from under your arm or moving your arm from me would aggravate your wounded shoulder!"

"Oh, how considerate of you," Botan said, softening then. "See Hiei, you are a caring guy–"

"Don't think you can hug me just because we're pretending to be married," he cut her off.

Botan started to apologise but stopped suddenly, her eyes moving to her left hand.

"How was I able to put my left arm around you?" she asked.

"Because that's the arm you're not lying on right now," Hiei flatly replied.

"But that doesn't make any sense," Botan said.

"It makes perfect sense, you idiot!" Hiei growled. "You're lying on your right side, so your left arm is raised and able to reach over me, because I am lying on the right side of the bed!"

"You weren't lying on the right side of the bed when I fell asleep last night."

"That's not relevant to this discussion."

"You also weren't lying under the bed covers with me."

"That's also not relevant to this discussion."

"I think it is."

Hiei growled and a look almost akin to embarrassment fleetingly passed over his features.

"Alright, fine!" he growled, still keeping his voice low, presumably in case Nanako overheard them again. "You were moaning about being cold in the middle of the night and you said you wanted me closer because I was warmer than you. I moved under the covers to share my warmth with you."

"Okay…" Botan said slowly. "I don't remember saying that, but it does sound like something I might say, and it does explain why you're under the covers. It doesn't explain why we've swapped sides of the bed though."

Hiei grumbled something and then began wrestling his way out of the bed.

"What was that?" Botan asked as he finally leapt from the bed.

"I moved to let you lie on my side because I'd warmed it with my body."

Hiei had kept his back to her when he had answered, but even without seeing his face, Botan suspected that his reply did not tell her all the facts. She opened her mouth to question him further but stopped as he rounded on her suddenly, his face once more set into a more controlled – if mildly irritated – expression.

"Let's not waste any more time in here," he said sternly. "We don't want that entire troop of young girls back in here asking us unreasonable questions about parts of our bodies we'd rather not discuss."

Botan grimaced as she imagined Nanako and her friends crowding into the room and asking more intrusive questions with either no expression on their faces or a look of morbid curiosity. When Hiei started for the door she quickly scrambled out of the bed to follow him, noticing as she went that her shoulder felt a lot better: it was still sore, but she had regained a lot of mobility in her arm again. It still seemed strange to her though that she had managed to hurl her arm over Hiei in her sleep, as she thought that surely the pain in her shoulder should have woken her. She decided to quiz Hiei further on the matter later, focusing her energy in the mean time on huddling against the cold as they stepped outside to meet Nanako. Although Nanako's house had been built of snow and ice, it was still warmer than being out in the village itself, and Botan still shivered as she stepped outside. She watched Hiei – still without his scarf or cloak – walk onwards with his usual rigidly upright posture, apparently unaffected by the bitter, biting cold, and she could not help but feel impressed.

The walk to the librarian's house was mercifully short, and, upon arrival there, Botan ignored correct social protocol by walking straight into the house the moment the door opened. Once inside she relaxed a little and turned to watch as Nanako quietly said a few words to the woman who had answered the door – who, Botan noticed, was surprisingly taller than Nanako. The woman nodded her head and stepped back, and Nanako proceeded into the house, joining Botan in the hallway. Botan kept her eyes on the doorway, watching as Hiei paused to give the woman in the doorway an unusual look before continuing indoors. When he drew level with her, Botan could not suppress a smile as she noticed that Hiei's cheeks and the tip of his nose had been pinkened by the cold walk over; though when she saw the distinctly tense setting of his black eyebrows, barely visibly below his bandana, she decided against teasing him for it.

"This is our village librarian," Nanako said to Botan and Hiei as the librarian closed the door and started towards them. "Her name is Rui."

Hiei made a small noise that Nanako and Rui appeared not to have heard, but Botan had noticed it, and she knew Hiei well enough to know that he was either unimpressed or displeased by Rui's presence.

"It's nice to meet you," Botan said, bowing her head politely to Rui in the hope of diffusing any potentially difficult situation: if Hiei lost his temper and got them thrown out of the village they would never find out who Inukasai's mother was. "My name is Botan, and this is my husband Hiei."

Hiei made another noise, this time slightly louder, and clearly an expression of displeasure, but Botan ignored him.

"You seem familiar, Hiei," Rui said, narrowing her eyes slightly at Hiei.

Hiei turned his head from her slightly, but she remained unaffected, instead turning her attention to Botan.

"I was just preparing tea and soup, there's plenty if you would like to join me," she said.

"That would be lovely, thank you Rui," Botan replied.

Rui started through the house and Nanako followed her. Hiei made to begrudgingly follow on, but Botan grabbed his arm to stop him. He looked first at her hand and then her face, looking irritated by her disruption, but not as angered as she had expected him to be.

"How do you know Rui?" she whispered to him.

"It's not important," Hiei whispered back, tugging his arm from her hand. "Stop meddling."

Botan growled in frustration, but Hiei walked on and she was obliged to follow. However, Botan's frustration and her curiosity vanished as Rui led them to a table in a small kitchen and the smells of freshly brewed tea and warm soup reached her nose and she remember how hungry she was. She gladly sat down at one side of the table next to Hiei as Nanako sat across from her. Rui brought over a tray for tea – which Nanako set about preparing for all four of them – and then a pot of soup, a ladle, and four bowls.

"Rui holds all the records for our village," Nanako said as she passed a bowl of tea to Botan. "She will be able to tell you anything that you need to know."

"Oh that's good," Botan said, nodding sweetly at Rui.

Rui managed a small smile back, and Botan was glad to see it, as it was the first friendly gesture she had received from any of the ice maidens since arriving in the glacial village. Feeling then that Rui was a nice lady – perhaps more like Yukina – Botan tried to think of a tactful way to broach the subject of Inukasai's mother; but before she could even begin to find the right words, Hiei's voice cut into her thought process and left her wide-eyed and pale.

"You need to tell us why the emiko called Inukasai thinks Hina is his mother."

Botan had been sure that Hiei's blunt words – ironic after his criticism of the ice maidens for their frankness – would be the most shocking thing to happen over breakfast; but she then almost spilled the ladle of soup she had been pouring into her bowl as Nanako suddenly smiled in a genuine, non perverse, way and said something even more unsettling.

"You know the emiko Inukasai? Isn't he wonderful?"

Botan placed her bowl down onto the table a little harder than she had meant to, the soup sloshing over the edges of the bowl, and she sat back down, trying to hold in her gut response, which was to tell Nanako how horribly mistaken she was.

"How the hell do you know who Inukasai is?" Hiei asked her.

"Inukasai visited our village a few months ago," Nanako replied, apparently unfazed by Hiei's harsher tone. "He came looking for answers about his birth and his family."

"It's so strange that you know of him," Rui added, looking at Hiei as she spoke. "As you yourself are also an emiko."

Hiei turned to her sharply, as did Nanako, the former looking angry, the latter surprised.

"Surely you must have recognised him as such, Nanako," Rui said to the girl at her side. "All emikos look the same, after all. Don't you see how he resembles Inukasai?"

Nanako turned to Hiei, her nose scrunching slightly in an uncharacteristic expression of emotion.

"I suppose he has many of the same physical traits," she eventually admitted. "Though Inukasai was much fairer. He was taller, too."

Hiei growled and Botan quickly leapt in to stop him making another blunt outburst.

"Yes, well, the thing is, Inukasai has told us that his mother was an ice maiden named Hina, and that the ice maiden Yukina is his twin sister," she said.

Rui turned to Botan and again gave a small smile, only this time it was more wistful than welcoming.

"Yukina was one of the finest members of our society," she said quietly. "Even though it was for her own best interests that she left, she is greatly missed."

"Yes, Yukina is a sweet girl, and a very good friend of mine," Botan said.

"You know Yukina too?" Rui asked.

"Yes, I do," Botan replied. "And that's why we're really here. Yukina is very important to me – as my friend – and when Inukasai appeared – suddenly, and completely out of nowhere – and said that he was her brother, I had my concerns. I can't just let any old stranger waltz into that girl's life and tell her that he's the long lost brother she's been searching so long for unless I know that he is telling the absolute truth: and so here I am, to check the facts. You say Inukasai came here a few months ago? Did somebody here tell him that he was Yukina's brother?"

"Yes."

Botan took a tight hold of her bowl of soup and lifted it to her lips, sipping from it and slowly swallowing before answering, lest she snap at Rui for giving such a frustratingly short and vague reply.

"Somebody did tell Inukasai that Yukina was his brother?" she asked as she replaced her bowl to the table.

"Yes," Rui replied.

"Who told him that?" Botan asked.

"I did," Rui said.

Hiei made another growling grunt, sounding more angered than before, and so Botan sat forwards and pressed on before he lost his patience entirely.

"Why did you tell him that?" she asked.

"Because it's the truth," Rui replied. "Inukasai is Yukina's brother. He is the son of Hina, my good friend, who is sadly no longer with us."

Hiei growled unashamedly, making enough noise that even Nanako stopped eating her breakfast and turned her attention to him.

"Surely not," Botan said nervously, trying to keep her eyes on Rui. "Surely Inukasai is not Hina's son and Yukina's brother?"

"Yes, he is," Rui replied.

She looked quite sure of her answer – so sure that Botan began to wonder if Hiei had been lied to the first time he had visited the ice village in search of answers to his own heritage.

"Okay…" Botan said slowly.

"Did you also come here to learn the identity of your husband's mother?" Rui asked.

Botan glanced at Hiei, finding him glaring at her in a way that suggested he was almost willing her to spontaneously combust.

"No, that wasn't why we came here," she managed to say, her voice slightly higher in pitch as her nerves got the better of her. "But if you could tell us the name of Hiei's mother, that would be helpful."

"He's much older than Inukasai. Who was the last to give birth to an emiko before Hina gave birth to Inukasai?"

Hiei and Botan both turned to Nanako, pouting at her angrily, but she kept her eyes on Rui.

"Hiei probably doesn't know how old he is," Rui replied, drawing Hiei and Botan's attention to herself. "Most emikos don't: Inukasai only did because his father had raised him from birth. The best I can do to help you identify Hiei's mother is to show you the records I have on the emikos that have been born here, and perhaps you will see something familiar."

Hiei started to say something sarcastic but Botan quickly spoke over him, cutting him off.

"Yes, please show us your records, Rui!" she said urgently. "Thank you so much!"

Rui nodded and rose from the table before walking out of the room at a pace so slow it made even Botan grind her teeth impatiently. As they waited for her to return, Botan finished her breakfast – she did not know when she would next get a hot meal – Hiei sipped at his tea and Nanako eyed Hiei over in a way that was sure to eventually push him over the edge. When Rui finally returned Botan sighed in relief and Hiei groaned.

"This is all I have," Rui explained, holding up a very slim and disappointingly small brown envelope.

Botan's heart sank.

"And I'm not really sure how much help this will be," Rui added. "As I said, all emikos look the same."

She pushed the tray of tea aside and emptied out the contents of the envelope, arranging the nine pieces of paper out in front of Hiei and Botan.

"I'm sorry," she said as Hiei shot her a dark look.

Hiei scanned over the photographs Rui had placed on the table before thumping back in his seat.

"Hn, this is hopeless," he concluded. "What a complete waste of time."

"This one is Hiei, and one of these two is Inukasai," Botan said.

Rui, Nanako and even Hiei all sat forwards, their eyes studying the nine photographs of baby emikos more carefully.

"Idiot, you don't know what you're saying!" Hiei snapped after looking over the photos once more. "They all look exactly the same: they could all be pictures of the same damn infant for all anybody can tell!"

"These are photographs of each of the emikos that have been born here," Rui said. "We always take a photograph of them, but I agree, they are so similar we might as well be looking at nine photographs of one child."

"Well you're all the idiots, not me!" Botan snootily announced. "Because that picture is clearly Hiei. I'm not so sure about Inukasai, but I would guess one of those two."

Hiei opened his mouth in a sneering way that suggested he was about to call her an idiot again, but he paused, a strange look passing over his face.

"How do you know that one is me?" he asked Botan instead.

Botan reached over and picked up the photograph she had singled out, pointing at the baby's face.

"Isn't it obvious?" she said, turning the picture towards Hiei.

Nanako leaned over the table and Rui leaned forwards, both ice maidens trying to see what Botan was indicating.

"Go ahead and tell me," Hiei said, keeping his eyes on Botan.

"This baby is the only baby with a freckle on his face in the same place as you," Botan flatly replied.

Nanako and Rui leaned closer to the photograph and Hiei narrowed his eyes, one hand moving to his face, his fingers covering the exact point Botan had been referencing.

"See?" Botan said, smiling smugly. "Taking me here with you was the right thing to do, wasn't it Hiei?"

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Botan's cunning resolutely proves that Hiei is emiko number nine, but then Rui announces something that sets back Hiei and Botan's plans yet again, and the situation only gets worse when the subject of Hiei's father is raised and the spirit world liaison officer to the ice village enters the fray. **Chapter 13 – Burning Bridges**


	13. Burning Bridges

**A/N:** Tsuchigumo is a spider demon. Doro means mud/dirt. Kuro means black/dark. No foreshadowing there, then…

* * *

 **Chapter 13 – Burning Bridges**

Hiei self-consciously brought up his hand, his fingers pressing against the small and slight bump by one corner of his top lip, silently wondering how the hell the ferry girl had noticed it there when he himself had to lean in close to a mirror and squint to see it clearly.

"See? Taking me here with you was the right thing to do, wasn't it Hiei?" the ferry girl said.

Hiei wanted to be angry, he wanted to tell her to wipe that self-serving smirk right off of her face, he wanted to tell her to stop noticing things about him that nobody else ever had – like how he was younger than Inukasai and that he had a tiny, faint freckle on his face – but it was difficult to argue with her when she was so undeniably right.

"Goodness, I see what you mean," Nanako said in her dull voice that was so typical of a resident of the ice village. "I suppose this must be Hiei then."

"Oh dear," Rui said, taking the picture from Botan's hand and turning it over to read something written on the back of it. "This is the picture of Hina's son – Yukina's brother – but… I was sure this was Inukasai!"

"Nope!" the ferry girl said.

She was looking far too smug, with her arms folded and her nose turned up in the air, her eyes closed and her smile positively obnoxious.

"How did this happen?" Nanako asked.

Hiei was glad someone else had asked the question, as he would not have been so polite had he been left to ask it himself.

"This is the ninth emiko born, the youngest of the group," Rui replied. "Inukasai was so young, I thought this was him."

"Inukasai is seventy-eight years old," the ferry girl said, her tone no less haughty.

"Then he is definitely not Hina's son," Rui said.

Botan finally opened her eyes and lowered her nose to an almost normal height, looking over at Hiei, her pink eyes glittering optimistically.

"This is awful."

Botan's smile vanished and she turned abruptly to Rui. Hiei thought that he really ought to intervene before the ferry girl made a fool of herself, but as he was not Rui's biggest fan, he decided to allow the chaos to continue a little longer.

"What do you mean?" she demanded. "How is this awful?"

"Because I told Inukasai that Hina was his mother," Rui replied. "And that wasn't the truth."

"No, that's not awful, that's fantastic," the ferry girl said.

"Poor Yukina," Nanako said.

Hiei turned to her, but she appeared to be oblivious to the fact that her remark was a slight against him.

"Inukasai was such a wonderful young man," Rui said.

"No he was not!" Botan argued.

"Yes he was," Nanako said. "He spoke to the elders, and they admitted that he was living proof that even a soul born as evil as an emiko could, under the right circumstances, evolve into something better."

The ferry girl turned oddly pale and became strangely quiet then, but Hiei was almost glad of it, as he did not especially want to listen to even the ice maidens singing Inukasai's praises, and the ferry girl's change in demeanour surely meant she would put an end to the conversation.

"That's true," Rui said. "Inukasai has given us all a lot to think about. Thanks to his charming repartee, the elders now allow the younger residents of the village more freedom."

Hiei was glad that Rui had made that last remark, as it did explain a lot – namely that the sick nonsense the ice maidens had suddenly starting talking about was a consequence of Inukasai sullying yet another group of people with his smarmy lies – but he intended for that to be Rui's last remark on the subject.

"You need to contact Inukasai and tell him the truth," he told her.

"It's so awful," she said. "I feel terrible that I gave him incorrect information."

"I thought you said you were Hina's friend?" Hiei responded.

"She was my closest friend," Rui replied. "I miss her terribly."

"Hn, some friend you are if you thought a dog demon was her son."

"A dog demon?"

Hiei sneered at Rui, but she appeared not to understand how ridiculous she was being.

"His name is Inukasai," Hiei pointed out. "Wasn't that a clue as to what sort of demon his father was?"

"The thought never occurred to me," Rui faintly replied.

"The thought never occurred to you that a demon with the word "dog" in his name might have been raised by dog demons?" Hiei spat.

"I was too fearful to discuss Inukasai's father with him," Rui replied. "It did surprise me when he said his father had raised him, however, as I don't recall Hina's lover being the type of man who would have wanted to raise the child they created together."

In all his years of searching for his missing hiruiseki necklace, the ice village, his mother and his sister, Hiei had never even thought about his father: he had assumed that the man had probably been killed by the other ice maidens after impregnating his mother, but, when he thought about how he had just left the village of Inugoya, where Inukasai had been raised by his father, he supposed he really ought to have given the matter more thought before.

"What sort of man was Hina's lover?"

Hiei was torn between the desire to kill the ferry girl for asking the question and the need to hear Rui's answer. Rui, as though sensing as much, looked over at Hiei, the look of pity on her face almost as bad as it had been right before she had thrown him from the cliff as a baby.

"He was one of the tsuchigumo, he hailed from the town of Doro," she said.

"Is he still there?" Botan asked.

"That's not relevant!" Hiei snapped. "We didn't come here to talk about that! We need proof that Inukasai isn't Yukina's brother, and we need it quickly!"

"I don't know," Rui said to Botan. "He wasn't really the sort to stay in touch with anyone."

Hiei growled in irritation. It was really of no interest to him whatsoever to find out that the man who had planted him into his mother was a spider demon from one of the sleaziest towns in demon world, and talking about it any further was now only detracting from the key point: Rui needed to correct her error and tell Inukasai that she had made a mistake and that Hina was not his mother.

"Do you remember his name?" Botan asked.

"Why would you even ask that?" Hiei growled at her.

"We could track him down," she replied, far too matter-of-factly for Hiei's liking, as though she was suggesting they have ramen for dinner instead of suggesting that they waste their time on something as absurd as trying to find the insect bastard Rui claimed was Hiei's father.

"We have precious little time to waste," Hiei warned her. "We are certainly not wasting any of it on something so futile and absurd."

"His name was Kuro."

Hiei froze.

"Did you ever meet him?"

"No. But Hina spoke of him."

"So do you know if he is still in the town of Doro?"

Hiei could barely hear the ferry girl continue questioning Rui. He was far too busy trying to pretend that his least favourite resident of the ice village had not just announced that Hina's lover – the man who was responsible for Hiei's creation – a man Hiei had to, under great duress, call his father – was Kuro the tsuchigumo of Doro. Hiei had never been to Doro – he had caught glimpses of it from afar during some of his patrols as part of the border patrol, but he had never had cause – far less the desire – to visit the town itself – but he knew enough of Doro to know that it had one of the largest populations of tsuchigumo in all of demon world; and so, had someone simply told him his father was a tsuchigumo of Doro, he could have spent years of further study trying to narrow his search.

However, Hiei did know one tsuchigumo of Doro by name, and that particular spider demon was one by the name of Kuro.

"I'm sorry, no," Rui said, shaking her head solemnly. "Although Hina was my best friend, I didn't share her secret desire for adventure. She had other friends who indulged that hobby with her, and only they may know something about Hiei's father."

Hiei flinched upon hearing Rui refer to Kuro as his father: it was a fact hard enough to try to process inside his own head, far less to have to listen to someone else – someone in the know, no less – state as a fact.

"Can you introduce us to someone who has met Kuro?" Botan asked.

"Doubt it," Nanako said.

"Why not?" Botan asked.

"They're all dead," Nanako flatly replied.

"What?" the ferry girl yelped.

"That's true," Rui confirmed. "Hina was part of a group within our village, a group of women who regularly defied the orders of the elders, and over the years they have, one by one, all perished; either through the dangerous places their own lifestyles led them to or through suicide."

"Oh my…" the ferry girl muttered into her sleeve.

"Hina wasn't the only woman in the group to birth an emiko, she was the third of the group to do so," Rui explained. "The seventh, eighth and ninth emikos born to our clan were all born within four decades of each other, and all to women who were part of that group."

"The seventh, eighth and the ninth? Hiei, do you know what that means?"

Hiei slowly moved his eyes to Botan, finding her looking at him with that unreasonably optimistic look she wore far too often. And, even though he did not answer her, she apparently thought that he cared what conclusion she had wildly leapt to, because she continued talking.

"That means one other emiko, Inukasai and then you were all born to a group of ice maidens who were close friends!" she prattled on. "Inukasai's mother was part of that group and a friend of your mother's!"

"You seem to think learning that should please me somehow," Hiei flatly answered her.

"It should please you, Hiei!" she replied, sounding a little irritated. "This means we can figure out who Inukasai's real mother is! Now we can go back and expose him!"

Hiei supposed that the ferry girl's words made sense and were even confirmation that their eventful trip to the ice village had not been in vain: and yet he was finding it difficult to feel anything but bitter and resentful and wholly unsurprised after learning that his father was Kuro of Doro.

"Rui: which other two women in that group gave birth to emikos?" Botan asked, turning her attention to Rui.

Hiei glanced at Rui; and although his glance was fleeting, it was more than enough for him to see the look in her eyes and to know what was about to follow. When he rested his eyes on Botan, he saw her mauve eyes wide and sparkling, her delicate lips slightly parted, her body leaned forwards, her hands grasping the edge of the table in anticipation. She was so incredibly naïve, Hiei could not decide if the quality was irritating in her or just pitiable. She had such an insatiable zeal to find the truth, he wondered how it was that she had lasted so long living in and working for spirit world, where truths were hidden all the time: especially from low-level workers like she was. Her persistence and can-do attitude had been surprisingly helpful up until that point, but Hiei felt that they had finally reached a point where her peppy approach was no longer effective. The ferry girl was about to fly straight into a brick wall of realism, the likes of which she may never have encountered before, and he found himself feeling a strange sense of regret that the cheerfully hopeful look on her face was about to warp into an expression of utter dismay.

"That's not something I can discuss with you."

Botan's mouth opened slightly wider and her eyebrows lifted slightly, her expression first moving into one of disappointment. Her eyes flicked between Rui and the table as Rui began gathering up the photographs of baby emikos and returning them to the envelope they had been stored in, her fingers gripping tighter at the table edge until the whites of her knuckles started to show.

"Wh-what do you mean?" she asked.

Botan sounded as though Rui's response had been the absolute last thing she had been expecting, despite it having been so obvious to Hiei. She obviously did not even know why Rui had said what she had, but Hiei already did, and he wondered how the ferry girl would react when she dug a little further and found out this latest truth.

"I'm not at liberty to discuss such private matters of my people with outsiders," Rui tightly replied.

"You just showed us all those photographs and told us about Hiei's father and all about Inukasai's visit here!" Botan protested. "What's changed that you won't talk any more?"

Rui closed the envelope and placed it on the table, pressing her hands against it and lifting her eyes to Botan. Hiei watched – with far more fascination than he would ever dare to admit to feeling – as Botan's lips and eyebrows began to quiver and her fingers slipped from the table edge, her hands balling into dainty fists.

"Hina was my closest friend," Rui replied, her tone duller than Hiei had ever heard it. "I made a promise to her that I would always protect Yukina and look after her best interests. I am also very fond of Yukina, and even if I had not made that promise to my dear late friend, I would still prioritise Yukina's happiness over all else."

"What are you talking about?" the ferry girl demanded. "You're not making any sense! I'm not asking you to do something that will hurt Yukina, I'm asking you to confess your error to her: what about that is so difficult for you to understand and carry out?"

"Inukasai is a good and true man," Rui said. "I don't have much experience of men, but I do have plenty of experience of seeing the damage so many of them are capable of causing, of the pain they are capable of inflicting upon the innocent."

"You're still not making any sense!"

"I'm happy that Inukasai is Yukina's brother and I'm happy they have found each other. I couldn't have asked for a happier outcome for either party."

"But Inukasai isn't Yukina's brother! Hiei is! It's all a lie! I'm just trying to get to the truth of the matter! Yukina, Hiei and even that nasty monster Inukasai deserve to know the truth!"

"Yukina and Inukasai deserve to be happy, and it seems to me that they are very happy right now."

"What are you…?"

A look of realisation very slowly crept across the ferry girl's face and Hiei was glad to finally see it. He had known, the moment he had seen the distinct change in Rui's expression, that the conversation would go the way it had: because Rui, just like Kuwabara, Kuwabara's sister, Kurama, Yusuke and even Yukina, knew that Inukasai was a better choice of brother for Yukina than Hiei was.

"A-are you…? But I can't believe you would… But it's not the truth!"

Hiei lifted his eyes as Botan shot out of her seat, the mounting anger and emotion in her face seeming entirely superfluous to him. Why was she getting so wound up about it? After all, it was hardly her problem.

"Besides," Rui said, keeping herself calm. "I can't leave this village."

"Then I will bring Inukasai and Yukina to you and you will tell them the truth!" Botan snapped back.

Rui shook her head.

"If you won't tell them the truth yourself, I will show them the truth!"

The ferry girl leaned forwards and made a genuine attempt to snatch the envelope of photographs from Rui – who deftly moved it out of her range without so much as blinking.

"Give me that!" Botan demanded.

"I can't do that," Rui said.

"What would you do with those pictures, anyway?" Nanako asked.

"Show them to Yukina!" Botan replied.

"That's not going to happen," Hiei said, standing up.

Botan turned to him, her chest heaving, her face red – possibly from the cold, but probably from the exertion of expressing her heated emotions – and her hands still formed into fists.

"The only thing you can prove with those photographs is which child is me," he reminded her.

"Yes, and on the back of the photograph of you, Rui has written that you are Hina's son: that proves that you are Yukina's brother!"

Hiei watched her carefully, waiting as patiently as he could for her to realise the flaw in her logic before he had to point it out to her. At first she remained fired up, but, after several seconds of looking into his eyes, she apparently began to understand the very obvious flaw in her plan.

"The only way we can use those photographs to prove that Inukasai isn't Yukina's brother is to show her that you are," she said flatly. "And we need to find a way to expose him as a liar without exposing your past."

"Exactly," Hiei confirmed.

Botan sighed. She looked genuinely defeated, which pleased Hiei, as he had been concerned that she would have then gone to the same place that Kurama surely would have under such circumstances and just told him to go ahead and tell Yukina the truth about his identity. However, the ferry girl seemed to genuinely respect his need to keep his identity a secret: perhaps from all the death threats he had issued her in the past when she had come dangerously close to verbalising the truth in Yukina's presence.

"You know, if you really think Inukasai is such a great guy, don't you also think his actual mother has a right to know him?" Botan tried, turning to Rui once more.

Rui gave the ferry girl a solemn look that she seemed not to understand: though once again Hiei already knew what his mother's miserable friend was thinking.

"You're wasting your time," he said, standing up from the table.

"Not necessarily, Hiei," the ferry girl replied, unfazed as ever. "Maybe if Inukasai's mother knew about the lies Rui is encouraging, she might have something to say about it! She might even be willing to help us out with proving Inukasai isn't Yukina's brother!"

"That's not going to happen," Hiei said.

Botan rounded on him, giving him the same pouting scowl she had been aiming at Rui only moments earlier.

"Inukasai's mother is dead," he explained.

"How do you know?" she asked, her face relaxing slightly.

"They're all dead, remember?" Hiei told her. "If their sons didn't kill them, the elders did, or else they killed themselves – either intentionally through guilt and shame or unintentionally in an attempt to recover the children they allowed to be left for dead."

Botan slowly turned to Rui, finally seeming to understand the look the ice maiden gave her as she sighed.

"We came all this way!" she moaned. "We can't leave empty-handed! We were so close!"

She was fighting a losing battle, but Botan's words did make Hiei wonder what he should do next: his choices seemed to be limited to returning to Mukuro and trying to ignore his problem or else going to the living world and confronting it, and neither option was particularly appealing. He had been sure he would have to do one or the other, but the last few days running around with the overly enthusiastic ferry girl had helped him forget that fact. It was almost as if some of her insatiable optimism had started to rub off on him somehow.

"Let's go," he said.

Hiei moved away from the table, only stopping when he reached the doorway. He paused there, watching over his shoulder as Botan stepped back from the table and then fixed her eyes onto Nanako.

"I want my belongings back before we go," she said.

Nanako nodded and stood up from the table.

"Thank you for your help," she said to Rui.

"Yes Rui," Botan said bitterly. "Thanks for nothing!"

Botan then stomped over to join Hiei in the doorway, her face twisting in a way that almost made her look like someone worthy of being taken seriously.

"What happened to your hair, anyway?" he asked her.

Her face dropped, and she once more looked like herself.

"You only just noticed?" she wailed.

"Yes," Hiei flatly replied. "And now I really wish I hadn't bothered saying so…"

"They cut off all my hair!" she continued regardless. "They did make me this lovely kimono, but it was so unnecessary to cut off all my hair the way they did!"

"They probably did it out of spite," Hiei muttered. "They say they don't care about physical beauty, that women only care about such things because of the influence of men, but they consistently contradict that with random acts of jealousy."

"…What?"

Hiei looked directly at Botan, the surprised and slightly embarrassed look on her face making him realise his second mistake of that conversation: it was bad enough that he had just basically told her that the ice maidens had cut off her hair because they were jealous of her beauty, but the error was surely only magnified by her apparent recent obsession with her own attractiveness.

"I said the ice maidens are expert seamstresses," he said. "They can sew together an outfit with great speed. They use the skill to create fine outfits that they then trade for food when they do leave the village."

To his relief, the ferry girl became suitably distracted by his words.

"They trade goods?" she asked. "But isn't all the currency in demon world just hiruiseki? They don't need to make anything to trade, they just need to cry."

"They don't like that their tears are used as money," Hiei pointed out. "They prefer to trade goods."

"I see… That still doesn't explain why they cut off my hair though…"

Hiei chose to ignore the ferry girl, as talking any more would probably only lead to him saying something else she would make him regret later. He continued out of Rui's house with the intention of heading back to the path out of the ice village: but he stopped short a few steps out of the house as the ferry girl turned in the opposite direction from him and marched across the village square with a strange sense of purpose. Hiei paused, looking about himself at the murky outlines of ice maidens watching him curiously from a distance through the mist, before turning his attention once again to Botan, watching her in a state of unending bemusement as she took herself back to Nanako's house and barged through the front door. The sensible thing in Hiei's mind seemed to be to wait for her to return; but when he saw a flicker of movement on the edge of his vision his head snapped around and he saw something that soon started him moving towards Nanako's house.

The leader of the ice maidens, along with a few others, was exiting the temple.

* * *

Botan kicked aside an artistically woven wicker footstool and glowered around the living room of Nanako's house. The room was what most people would probably describe as, but as the room was – much like everywhere else in the ice village – at a sub-zero temperature, it was anything but cosy to Botan. Her frustration was mounting and she was unsure what was bothering her the most: the cosy attitude of the ice maidens, the fruitlessness of her (frankly quite difficult) journey to the ice village, the nagging feeling that she might never prove Inukasai's words to be lies or the fact that, once again, she had visited a village in demon world and had her belongings taken from her. Nanako's house was small and the décor was extremely minimalist, and therefore there were few places Botan's belongings could be hidden, and yet still she could not find a trace of her clothing or her bag. She dropped onto all fours and peered under a low bench – despite having already checked twice – and then stood up again, her face level with a small rounded window glazed with ice in place of glass.

Botan paused as she noticed Hiei standing in the centre of the ice village, facing a group of ice maidens. The confrontation looked interesting and her instinct was to move closer to the window to try to hear anything being said or else to abandon the search for her belongings and just go out and join Hiei: but instead of doing either, she once more dropped onto all fours, her heart racing and her breath condensing in the air around her in rapidly repeating clouds. She held her position until her initial moment of panic had passed before slowly and silently rising up to an awkward half-crouch, bringing her eyes just high enough that she could see out of the window. And, as her eyes once more landed on Hiei and the group of women standing before him in the village centre, Botan found her desire to listen in to what was being said evolve into a need to know what was being said. She was only curious about what the ice maidens and Hiei might have to say to each other, but she needed to know what the spirit world liaison officer might say to either group.

As she watched on, Botan wondered if she really ought to be concerned or not about the spirit world liaison officer seeing her in the ice village: after all, Koenma has instructed her to follow Hiei wherever he went, and it would appear that she was only doing just that. However, she was concerned that the liaison officer might say something to her in Hiei's presence that would alert Hiei to the fact that Koenma had instructed her to follow him wherever he went, and the last thing she needed was the complication of trying to explain to Hiei that she was with him as his friend and not as his spirit world appointed stalker.

But the liaison officer may just be able to shed more light on Inukasai's true identity, and that was too good an opportunity to miss, even if it had come at the expense of potentially revealing details of Koenma's experiment to Hiei.

Pushing aside her panicked concern, Botan drew in a deep breath and turned from the window, hurrying out of the little snow house. She winced against the biting cold outside of the house – something she kept forgetting about, as the interior of the houses in the ice village were colder than any weather she had ever experienced before, and so it seemed impossible for the temperature to drop any lower outdoors – and she started towards Hiei.

"I am only allowing you a safe exit from our village because recently I have come to realise that maybe our judgement of the emikos has been overly harsh," a wizened old ice maiden was saying to Hiei as Botan stopped by his side. "I still maintain that men are not welcome here, that men bring only destruction and that any emikos born here must be cast out: but I am willing to reconsider how we cast the emikos out. And that includes you, boy."

"Hn, you waste your breath, you miserable old hag," Hiei answered her. "I have no desire to stay here. Casting me out was the best thing you ever did for me."

"Inukasai said exactly the same thing to me."

Botan started to get angry upon hearing the old ice maiden mention the name of her least favourite emiko, but her anger was quickly surpassed by concern when she noticed the tension in her favourite emiko's face.

"Say that again," Hiei said quietly.

"Another of your kind visited us recently," the old ice maiden continued. "An emiko named Inukasai. He was the son of Hina, one of our more troublesome former residents, but he proved to us all that even a wretch born as horrid as he was could become something far better."

Hiei snarled and Botan caught the spirit world liaison officer looking at her. It had been a long time since Botan had actually seen the officer, but in that moment she could understand why Koenma had chosen her for the role she now had: she was small with delicate features, pale lilac hair and light steel-coloured eyes, and, dressed in a kimono that had clearly been made in the ice village, she was visually indistinguishable from the other ice maidens around her.

"What do you mean "former resident"?"

Hiei glared up at Botan and she met his eyes with a look of confusion, since even she did not know why she had asked the question she just had: of everything she had witnessed since her arrival in the ice village and of every damning thing the old ice maiden had just said, why had her mind locked onto those two words?

"Who are you?" the old ice maiden asked.

Botan turned to her and gulped nervously. She took a moment to consider the malevolent glare the elderly ice maiden was giving her, the almost literal burning sensation of Hiei's mounting rage at her side and the suspicious, almost accusing, way the spirit world liaison officer was watching her. Applying the analogy of feeling like a spark in a powder keg seemed almost too ironic, as Hiei was likely to quite literally explode in a burning inferno if something pushed him too far. Hiei's temper was one of the most powerful things Botan had experienced; but it was not quite as powerful nor quite as influencing as her own curiosity.

"You said "former resident"," she said, her voice small and uneven, but her determination unwavering. "You made it sound as though you cast Hina out of the ice village. Is that true?"

"Hina wasn't cast out, she killed herself," Hiei said harshly.

Botan turned to him, but was surprised to find that he was not addressing her.

"At least, that's what Rui told me the last time I came here," he added, fixing his eyes onto the elderly ice maiden before him.

"The fate of any resident of the ice village – former or current – is not your concern," the ice maiden replied.

"Wrong answer," Hiei warned.

He moved his hands to his sword and Botan quickly grabbed at his arm nearest her. Although he did not drop his stance he did pause, moving his eyes to her in a way that seemed to be warning her to release him. She kept her hold of him and gave a small shake of her head before pointing at the figure approaching from behind them both. Botan watched Rui expectantly, hoping that the willowy ice maiden's conscience had finally got the best of her and that she was about to do something useful, that she was about to explain what Hina's fate had actually been or to explain the misinformation she had been spreading about Hina's relation to Inukasai.

"I believe this is yours."

Botan's face dropped as Rui held out her bag towards her.

"That's it?" the ferry asked in a low voice.

"We put your clothes in there," Rui added.

Botan slowly accepted the bag from her.

"Don't you have anything else you'd like to say to us?" she pressed.

Rui returned her question with a blank look and Botan began to feel herself getting as irate as she knew Hiei already was. She began to understand why he despised the ice maidens and their homeland so much and she began to appreciate why he said Yukina was better off away from the glacial village.

"I still don't know who you are, girl."

Botan turned back to the elderly ice maiden, who appeared to be addressing her. Her instinct was to give a haughty reply and demand answers again, but she stopped short of doing so when she noticed the way the spirit world liaison officer was still watching her.

"It's not your concern who she is," Hiei said when Botan did not answer the elderly ice maiden.

"She's this emiko's wife," Nanako offered. "Apparently."

Botan gave Nanako a dark look, silently wondering when the interfering ice maiden had joined their gathering.

"Wife?"

Botan turned back to the spirit world liaison officer, who had been the one to speak. The horrified look on her fellow spirit world resident's face made Botan realise that her already tense and confusing situation had just become infinitely more awkward: what if the liaison officer reported back to Koenma that Hiei had referred to her as his wife? Botan tried to stop herself from imagining Koenma's response – because, without hearing her opinion on the matter, he would have no reason to think the news was anything other than fact – and she instead told herself that she needed to find a way to subtly convey to the liaison officer that she was not really Hiei's wife.

"Where's Akutsu?" Nanako asked.

"Be quiet, girl!" the village elder snapped at her.

"If that's how people around here answer simple questions, it's no wonder nobody gets their facts straight…" Botan grumbled.

A moment after the words had left her lips Botan felt the air get distinctly colder – despite how impossible that seemed – and as she turned her attention fully towards the elderly ice maiden, she briefly saw the ice demon's eyes glow white before she suddenly found herself airborne. Botan started to cry out in fear and alarm, but stopped short as she landed on her feet, suddenly at the other end of the village centre and more than thirty feet away from the village elder. Looking back at the point where she had been standing she saw a disturbance on the snowy ground, and looking at her side she saw Hiei standing looking back over one of his shoulders. She leaned to one side to find out what had caught his attention, finding a glistening blue streak down his back and over one hip. She quickly moved back to the position she had landed in and Hiei turned to her, their eyes meeting.

"What just happened?" she asked.

"Your curiosity just almost got you killed," he flatly replied.

Botan looked back over at the gathering of ice maidens in the village centre, her mind slowly piecing together what appeared to have happened: apparently the village elder had lost her temper and launched an attack at Botan in response to her insolent remark – probably it was an insult that was a little too close to home for the deceitful ice maidens, Botan thought to herself – and Hiei had both taken the force of the attack upon himself and lifted her well out of harm's way.

"Are you okay?" she asked Hiei.

"Ridiculous question," he grunted.

She felt a small and brief flare of demon energy from him and the ice covering his hip and back evaporated.

"Obviously the old hag forgot why she cast me out in the first place," he continued, his tone rising as he turned towards the ice maidens. "It was because I have the ability – and the desire – to turn this entire miserable frozen rock into a steam cloud."

"Um, Hiei?" Botan began as she noticed the almost admonishing way the spirit world liaison officer was looking over at her.

"You should stand clear."

"Hiei!"

Botan had cried out to Hiei with the intention of trying to stop him from acting irrationally, but she made no attempt to physically try to stop him when he started to power up, instead summoning her oar and diving over the nearest cliff edge to escape harm. She landed onto her oar and kept falling, only realising her mistake when she halted her descent and tried to fly back up to the mountain pathway to the ice village, whereupon she realised that the damage her oar had sustained earlier had left it difficult to fly smoothly. After a juddering struggle back up, Botan met back up with Hiei at the end of the pathway furthest from the ice village, where she was glad of the deep snow as it softened her slightly heavy landing. She banished her oar and looked over at Hiei expectantly.

"They said they wanted to be isolated from everyone else, but clearly they can't even obey their own rules," he said.

"So you literally burned the bridge to the ice village?" Botan flatly asked, waving a hand at the gap at her side.

Where there had once been a narrow icy pathway to the ice village there remained only a flurry of hail. Hiei had apparently vaporized the bridge over the chasm between the mountain and the ice village, but due to the cold temperature in the air, the steam had quickly condensed into water droplets that had then frozen into small ice particles that were falling like hail.

"Was that supposed to be your witty way of metaphorically saying I just ruined my chances of being welcomed back into the ice village with open arms?" Hiei asked sarcastically.

"I don't completely disagree with you, Hiei," Botan replied. "They were being frustratingly uncooperative, but we could have got more information out of them if we'd waited a little longer."

"Waited for what?" Hiei spat. "For Inukasai to pay his next visit here? Because they would welcome him back with open arms, despite him being everything they hate."

"Only because he's used his sleazy lies to brainwash them the same way he did with Yukina and Kuwabara!" Botan agreed.

"We're losing time standing here talking about it, we should try to get as far down the mountain as we can and then rest for the night."

"But tomorrow is Tuesday already!"

"Yes, which means you have three days left to convince Yukina that you are not the horror Inukasai has told her you are."

"Exactly, I only have three days left to – wait, what did you just say about Inukasai miscalling me to Yukina?"

Hiei visibly faltered and Botan's jaw dropped.

"When did that happen?" she asked.

"It's not important, forget I said it," Hiei mumbled.

"It most definitely is important, tell me!"

"No. Oh look, here comes one of your comrades."

"Stop trying to distract me and answer the question, Hiei!"

"I'm not trying to distract you. One of your colleagues from spirit world is approaching."

"That's not funny Hiei! I know what you're doing! You're trying to make me look away so that you can run off and not have to answer me!"

"Hi Botan."

"Not now, can't you see I'm busy-ah!"

Botan almost fell off the edge where the ice path had once been as she fearfully leapt away from the ferry girl floating above her head.

"I've been watching you since you got here, I thought we should talk," the ferry girl said.

Botan took a wary step back as her fellow spirit world resident landed delicately on the snowy mountaintop.

"Don't look so worried," she said when she noticed the way Botan was staring at her. "I'm not here to cause you trouble. I came to give you some information to help you on your mission."

Botan slowly looked back over her shoulder at Hiei.

"Your mission?" he asked in a low voice as she met his eyes.

How was she going to explain to him about the mission Koenma had sent her on without him thinking that she was only at his side because she was obeying an order to spy on his pain and suffering?

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Botan and Hiei have an awkward (but informative) discussion with the ferry girl during which Botan finds a reason to convince Hiei to journey on to another little part of his past in demon world with her. On their way, they discuss why Inukasai's mother would have chosen Inuyusha as her lover and Hiei and Botan find themselves disagreeing on the definition of the word love. **Chapter 14: Ferry Girl's Choice.**


	14. Ferry Girl's Choice

**Chapter 14 – Ferry Girl's Choice**

Hiei waited for the ferry girl to answer him, but instead of saying even a single word, she turned her head from side to side, looking back and forth between him and her fellow ferry girl.

"I hope you can forgive my intrusion," the new ferry girl said. "But Lord Koenma did tell me about your–"

"Oh my goodness!" Botan yelled far too loudly. "I had no idea that you could fly an oar!"

The ferry girl tilted her head to one side, giving Botan a strange look.

"Well, yes, I was a ferry girl before I became the liaison officer to the ice village."

The short ferry girl's intrusion suddenly seemed like far less of an irritation to Hiei: he remembered Botan telling him about spirit world having a liaison officer who knew intimate facts about life in the ice village and so maybe their visit there had not been so pointless as it had seemed.

"You're the spirit world liaison officer to the ice village?" he asked.

The officer nodded her head. She was virtually expressionless, short, pale and had an air of snootiness about her: she was an obvious choice for an ambassador to the ice village as she was visually indistinguishable from the other ice maidens.

"Then maybe you can explain why that bastard Inukasai is pretending to be Yukina's brother," Hiei said.

"I'm afraid there isn't really very much I can tell you about Inukasai," she replied, much to his chagrin. "Other than the fact that he has made quite a startlingly positive impression on the ice maidens, there is nothing else I know of him: I have never met him personally."

"Then you are of no use to us," Hiei responded.

"Don't dismiss me so hastily, Hiei," she said. "I may not have been in the glacial village when Inukasai visited, but I was there when you visited."

Hiei bit back the urge to punch the spirit world liaison officer in the face: he was still vaguely optimistic that she might be able to tell him something useful, though as she was from spirit world, that was also doubtful.

"I haven't been in my post as liaison officer long enough to have witnessed any of the emikos being born, but I do know a little about the mothers of each of the boys," she continued. "I couldn't say for certain whether your mother was Hina or one of the other ice maidens in her group, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that there was a group of ice maidens who actively sought to learn about life outside of the village – or more specifically, they wanted to learn about men. Most of them ended up with child as part of their endeavours. Hina was one of that group."

"Do you know what happened to Hina?" Botan asked.

She cast Hiei a quick nervous look as though she sensed how much he had disliked her interruption.

"I only ask because Hiei was told Hina took her own life," she quickly added. "But back in the village there, that older ice maiden said that Hina was a "former resident", as though she had left the village rather than died?"

The liaison officer nodded and Hiei once more found himself interested in what she had to say: maybe Botan's meddling could be useful sometimes, as the questions she was asking – as intrusive as they were – were actually getting results.

"From what I have been told and from the accounts of the events that I have read in the records kept in the ice village, Hina did leave the ice village after the birth of her son," the liaison officer said. "Apparently she had always planned to do so. She wanted to birth her children in the village because she hoped the elders might change their minds about casting out her boy after they saw him: but she had planned that if they cast him out, she would take her daughter and leave to find her son and her lover, and that they would live together as a family."

The shuddering little whimpers the ferry girl was making quite nicely summed up how Hiei was feeling, and he assumed that she was reacting the way she was because she had come to the same conclusion as he had: the story the liaison officer had just told of Hina planning to leave the ice village to raise her children with her son's father matched the story Inuyusha had given about his own lover from the ice village. Despite the progress they had appeared to make in the library when Rui had produced the photos of the infant emikos, Hiei felt as though that had been a mere blip, an error of some kind, and that they were back to the same horrid place they had been in since Inukasai's arrival in Yukina's life: all signs were pointing at Inukasai actually being Yukina's brother and Hina's son.

"The women of the ice village who were in the group were all of a certain character," the liaison officer continued. "They were all – in varying degrees of intensity – girls who were bored and resentful of the life of solitude and modesty they had been born into, and, due to either their lack of experience socialising with others outside of their own clan or due to their general desire to find adventure, they all ended up in the arms of men who were far less than savoury."

"Like Inuyusha?" Botan asked quietly.

She had been looking at Hiei when she spoke, as though she was asking the question of him, but, much to Hiei's relief, the liaison officer answered anyway.

"Inuyusha was the mildest-mannered of them all," she said. "The worst was of course Kuro."

Hiei flinched upon hearing that name again.

"So… What happened to Hina after she left the village?" Botan asked.

Hiei barely so much as blinked at the sound of her asking yet more prying questions: after all, her last question was at least moving the conversation away from discussing Kuro.

"She must have returned," Botan continued. "Because you said she planned to leave with her daughter, but Yukina has no memories of having ever left the village before she began her search for her brother, so Hina's excursion must have been brief, and when Yukina was still just a young baby."

"I imagine Yukina has no memories of it because Hina left without her."

Hiei froze.

"Wh-what did you just say?" Botan asked.

"Hina left without her daughter Yukina."

The liaison officer had repeated her words as flatly and matter-of-factly as she had said them the first time around. It was honest, but so brutally so, that again Hiei understood why she had been chosen as the spirit world correspondent to the ice village.

"No…" Botan said slowly. "That can't be right…"

"It is though," the liaison officer replied, as bluntly as ever. "The elders of the village wouldn't allow Hina to take Yukina with her when she declared her plan to leave. She tried to fight the case, but eventually she left anyway. I've been told she left with the intention of finding her son and her lover and then returning with them both to take Yukina by force. Things didn't quite work out that way for Hina, however."

"She never found her son," Hiei said.

"Right," Botan said with a nod of her head. "And then she killed herself because of the despair she felt, right?"

"Hina didn't kill herself," the liaison officer said. "Why do you keep saying that she did?"

Botan turned fearful mauve eyes to Hiei, who simply looked back at her, genuinely at a loss of how he should react or what he should say.

"We were led to believe that Hina killed herself," she eventually recovered, turning back to the liaison officer as she spoke. "Is-isn't that what happened?"

The liaison officer shook her head.

"Hina was murdered," she said. "The only reason she was buried in the ice village is because her best friend Rui – who, even though she was Hina's best friend, wasn't a part of the group of women who sought out men and trouble – travelled to the place Hina was slain and carried her body back to the village. The elders told Rui if she did that they would concede to allow Hina to be buried in their graveyard. They didn't think Rui would have the physical strength to perform the task nor did they think she would have the resolve to complete the task, as, even though she secretly supported the girls who sought to learn about life outside of the village, Rui herself was always terrified of anything from outside the confines of her glacial home."

"Why would someone murder Hina?" Botan asked. "I-I only ask because surely an ice maiden is worth more alive, producing hirui stones for a captor. I would have thought she would have been more in danger of being abducted and tortured than murdered?"

"After she left the village, Hina tried to look for her son first of all," the liaison officer replied. "When she didn't find him after days of searching, she set out to find her lover. She duly did find her lover and she explained to him what had happened and about the powerful child they had created together. His reaction to the news was to kill her and then hunt down the boy himself. Once he found the boy he used him as payment to a group of bandits in return for an estate the bandits had recently taken over."

"He-he didn't keep his son and raise him as his own?" Botan asked faintly.

"No," the liaison officer said. "But then again, Kuro really wasn't the sort of man to want to do such a thing."

"Are you saying Kuro is the father of Hina's son?" Hiei asked.

"Yes," the liaison officer said.

"Well that proves that Inukasai isn't Yukina's brother!" Botan said.

She sounded – and indeed even looked – quite pleased with herself, as though the piece of information the liaison officer had just imparted was somehow a good thing. A small part of Hiei acknowledged that Botan was right that what the liaison officer had just said did disprove Inukasai's alleged relation to Yukina; however what the liaison officer had just said did also prove that Kuro was Hiei's father.

"Isn't that why Inukasai is such an interesting case, Botan?"

Botan turned exceptionally – almost suspiciously – pale as the liaison officer turned to address her directly.

"He is the only emiko whose father was not entirely evil, meaning genetically speaking, he was at an advantage to be a better man," the liaison officer continued. "And as he was also raised by his mild-mannered father and the humble dog demons, he is the product of a positive environment too. He has been fortunate from the nature end of the argument as well as the nurture end: unlike Hiei here, who has been incredibly unfortunate from both ends of the argument."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Hiei growled. "Don't you dare presume to know me just because you've spoken to Rui or any of the other myopic bitches of that frozen place."

"I know your father was Kuro and you were raised by bandits," the liaison officer replied. "So genetically speaking you are–"

"You're being rude!" Botan yelled out suddenly, her voice once more unnecessarily loud.

She was making a fool of herself, but Hiei was once again glad of her interruption, as he had not especially wanted to listen to the liaison officer tell him something he already knew; or worse still, to have the liaison officer reveal any more about his life to Botan.

He was almost certain that if Botan knew who Kuro was or if she learned anything about the bandits who had raised him, she would not feel nearly as comfortable about calling herself his friend and travelling around demon world so candidly with him.

"Look, I'm just trying to help you," the liaison officer said, turning her attention back to Botan. "I thought it might help you to know a little more about Hina, like the fact that she was part of a group of like-minded ice maidens."

"Who are all dead," Hiei flatly answered her.

She turned towards him upon his remark, and yet again he was struck by just how visually similar she was to the ever-unfeeling ice maidens themselves.

"Yes, that's true," she confirmed. "They are all dead."

"Including Inukasai's mother?" Botan asked.

"They're all dead," the liaison officer flatly replied. "But that's not to say there is not another group of such girls forming amongst the younger generation of ice maidens. A group spear-headed by Nanako, who I believe you both may have met during your brief visit to the ice village."

"Why are you telling us all this?" Hiei asked her.

The monotonous sound of her dull voice was starting to bother his ears and her uncanny resemblance to his ancestors was starting to make him wish she was not able to fly on an oar, as she was standing just close enough to the edge of the sheer drop that he could easily knock her over the edge in a way that would look accidental to even the most observant of eyes.

"Because I'm trying to help Botan on her mission," she replied.

Hiei glanced at Botan and again she looked incredibly guilty, which could only mean that she had told Koenma that she was going to demon world to uncover Inukasai's true identity. He was a little irritated to know that she had told Koenma about their plans and that the liaison officer kept referring to them as the ferry girl's "mission", but he reasoned that she would have needed to give her boss some sort of excuse for her absence, and he had no doubt pressed her for an answer after she had been rummaging around the spirit world files on the ice village, and so he decided not to admonish her for telling her colleagues in spirit world about her plans.

"How very gracious of you," he instead said, turning his remark to the liaison officer and hoping that, despite her impassive expression, she could hear and understand his sarcasm. "But exactly what are we supposed to do with the few – mostly useless – snippets of information you've told us?"

"I'm trying to tell you that if you're looking for answers about Hina, you should check with one of her friends who shared her interest in men," the liaison officer replied.

"One of her dead friends, you mean?" Hiei bluntly responded.

"Yes," she said.

Hiei sighed and turned his attention to Botan, finding himself suddenly looking at her in a renewed light: whereas she had always seemed like nothing more than a hapless soul collector and messenger, she suddenly appeared to be the most competent, most helpful and most personable creature to ever have emerged from spirit world.

"Let's go," he said to her.

She nodded and he turned to go, only hesitating when he heard the ferry girl's voice talking softly behind him, her words almost lost in the howling gales.

"Were you really a ferry girl before you became the liaison officer?" she asked.

"Yes," the liaison officer replied, making no attempt to lower her own voice.

"So it is possible for a ferry girl to get promoted to another role in spirit world?"

"Yes."

"I see… Were you chosen for your role as liaison officer for any particular reason?"

Hiei grunted, his face twisting. Perhaps he had given the ferry girl more credit than she deserved after all: surely only an idiot would need to ask such a question.

"Did you have to pass any sort of test or carry out any sort of special duties before you were promoted?" she prattled on.

"There are some things I shouldn't really discuss with you, Botan."

"Oh, I see… Well, thanks anyway…"

Hiei started to walk on then, and, after a few steps, Botan joined him, trudging through the snow down the hillside.

"That was pointless," he commented as they walked together.

"Well not entirely," she replied.

"Even you can't possibly put a positive spin on this complete waste of our collective time," Hiei said.

"Maybe the ice maidens didn't give us anything substantial to take back to Yukina to prove Inukasai isn't her brother, but we have enough clues to carry on with our search."

Hiei glanced at the ferry girl, hoping that the look on her face would help him decipher what she had meant by "search", but unfortunately she was wincing against the cold and wind to the point that it was almost impossible to try to read what was going on inside her erratic mind from her expression alone. He wanted to ask exactly what she thought they were "searching" for, but he was not looking forward to hearing her response.

"I think it's obvious what we have to do next," he began, turning his attention forward again.

He could not bring himself to watch her face as he told her the facts: he felt she needed to hear him state them, and even though her face was too contorted against the cold to show any emotion, he was sure that her disappointment would be obvious once he confirmed what he was sure she must already know to be true.

"Yes, of course," she said, much to his relief.

"Good, you understand this time," he said.

The last thing he had wanted to deal with as they descended the difficult path down the mountain and through the extreme weather conditions was enduring the same argument with her that he had suffered through upon leaving Inugoya. At least this time there was nowhere else she could propose they pointlessly visit, he told himself.

"What's the fastest route there?" she asked. "Should we be going this way? Wouldn't it make more sense for me to fly us down over the edge by the bridge to the ice village? Well, by the remains of the bridge to the ice village, that is."

Hiei was mildly impressed that she had both accepted what they must do next and where they must go and that she had even noticed that they were not actually travelling there by the shortest route.

"I don't trust your broken oar to fly us anywhere," he reminded her.

"How much time will we lose going this way?" she asked.

"We should still make it there before Yukina and Kuwabara arrive for their visit with Inukasai's family in Inugoya," he replied.

"How long before?"

"…What?"

"How long before? Remember we need time to get answers and take them all the way back to Inugoya before Yukina and Kuwabara get there. It's Monday already Hiei, and if we have to trudge through this snow on foot, the day will be over before we know it. We've lost half the week, we can't afford to mess about."

Hiei was ashamed to admit just how confused he was and he was even more ashamed to admit how curious he was: he could not tell if Botan's nosiness was starting to rub off on him or if it was just her insatiable zeal to find answers that was drawing him into her hair-brained schemes and leaving him believing that anything was possible.

"Despite plain common sense warning me against it, I'll bite: what the hell are you talking about?" he conceded.

"You said Kuwabara was planning to take Yukina to Inugoya on Friday, didn't you?" she responded, sounding frustrated, like she thought he was the one who was failing to understand both the direction of their journey and their conversation.

"Yes, and we should get there ourselves within two days," Hiei pointed out. "If today is Monday, we should be in Inugoya by Wednesday. Or Thursday morning if you want to go to those hot springs you were so determined to visit…"

"But we're not going to Inugoya yet! First we have to – ooh, I forgot about the hot springs! You know, the ice maidens did heal my wounds, but a nice soak in a hot spring would be very welcome, to both relax my muscles and to let me have a lovely bath."

"So then we're going to the hot springs and then we're going back to Inugoya."

"I'm so glad you remembered about the hot springs, Hiei! It'll be so nice to get a nice long, hot bath, to clean up, to relax my muscles and to ready ourselves for our journey to see the bandits."

Hiei stopped walking, but Botan continued on, quickly disappearing from his sight in the snowy conditions and dusky evening light. When he heard her start to talk, he walked briskly on again until he had caught up to her, falling into pace with her and glaring up at her angrily.

"After all, one of the bandits your father sold you to is bound to know something about your mother, right?"

Hiei growled, but Botan did not so much as look his way.

"They might even be able to tell us about the other ice maidens in the group your mother was a part of, and they might know something about Inukasai's mother: although perhaps not if she died before you were conceived… But it's worth a shot, right?" she continued obliviously. "And even if they can't tell us anything new about your mother, they should at least be able to tell us a little more about your father. You know Hiei, on the subject of your father–"

"My father is not a subject," Hiei quickly cut her off. "He is an object. He is an object of my hatred and an object unworthy of being mentioned."

"Have you ever met him?" Botan asked.

She looked over at Hiei from the corner of her eye, looking only a fraction as wary as he thought she ought to under the circumstances: nobody usually dared ask him about such private matters, and she was treading on very thin ice. In fact, Hiei thought bitterly, the ferry girl was almost literally treading on thin ice, as his rage was turning into demon energy that was sizzling through the snow around him with every step he took, turning snow into ice.

"Well no matter," she said with a shrug. "Let's see what the bandits you were sold to have to say. Now Hiei, I am working on the assumption that the bandits your father sold you to are the same bandits who raised you. Would that be correct?"

"We are not going anywhere near the bandits who raised me," Hiei warned.

It was Botan's turn to abruptly halt in her tracks, and Hiei stopped a step ahead of her, turning to glare over his shoulder at her.

"Hiei, I did already ask you if we were going in the right direction," she said sternly.

"We're not going there, Botan!" he snarled back at her.

"Why not?" she asked, planting her hands on her hips huffily. "Oh, I know! They're travelling bandits! You don't know exactly where they are because they move around!"

Hiei faltered slightly as he debated in his mind whether Botan's uncanny skills of deduction had led to her figuring out that the bandits who raised him were travellers or if she had simply made a fortuitously clever guess.

"Well Hiei, you know you could just use your jagan eye to find where they are," she said, looking as though she thought he was idiotic for not having thought of the same idea first.

"I'm not going to use my jagan to find those bastards because we are not going to visit them!" he firmly replied.

"Hiei, how do you expect us to continue with our mission if you just give up already?" she snapped back. "There's absolutely no way we endured carnivorous flowers, stinky pervert dogs and nosy pervert ice maidens just to crawl back to the living world with our tails between our legs and let that dog in the manger Inukasai steal your entire life from you!"

Hiei gulped involuntarily. Botan actually looked like she was ready to literally physically fight him to prove her point: and, more disturbingly, the point she was so vehemently fighting for was protecting his best interests.

"Nobody's ever done that before," he muttered.

"Done what?" she asked.

"Cared."

* * *

Botan gasped and brought a hand up to her chest. She knew the look on her face was not the sort of look Hiei enjoyed being on the receiving end of but she was incapable of disguising either her shock or her sympathy. She relaxed a little when he turned away from her and she assumed he was going to continue onwards. She thought that she would let him get just far enough ahead of her that he would not be able to make out her expression through the freezing fog and snow flurries before following him at a distance; but she quickly forgot that plan when he turned around to face her again. She quickly tried to neutralise her expression, tried to look indifferent, tried to pretend that she had not even heard Hiei's last words.

"You look ill," he commented.

"Maybe we should find a place to camp for the night," she replied.

She had not made the suggestion because she was tired and looking for a place to rest, rather she was grasping at straws to find a reason to focus their attention and efforts elsewhere. She was also hoping that, after a night's sleep, she might be able to convince Hiei to continue on their quest.

"You do realise it's still morning?" he said.

Botan squinted up through the falling snow at the dark sky overhead.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"We just had breakfast," he reminded her.

She nodded.

"Fair point."

"Unless you're too weak to continue."

"No."

"Well then."

Hiei turned away again and Botan allowed herself to relax again.

"If we continue this way for another few hours or so we will join the main mountain path," he said, keeping his head turned away as he spoke. "There is less snow there, it's not so cold, and we can connect to the route over to the hot springs."

Botan brightened a little then and stepped forward to stand alongside Hiei.

"That sounds good," she said. "Let's go."

Hiei mumbled something indecipherable and then trudged onwards through the snow. Botan continued on at his side, a series of ideas running through her mind as they walked. She could not help but notice that whilst she was still dressed in the new clothes she had gained in the ice village, Hiei was still walking without his scarf or cloak, and he was starting to look quite cold. She glanced down at her bag, silently wondering if she had anything left in there that she could offer him to help him keep warm: but she thought that the only contents of her bag suitable for offering protection against the cold were her own clothes that the ice maidens had removed for her, and she doubted Hiei would appreciate her offering him her clothes. She knew Hiei well enough to know that he would rather suffer physical discomfort than risk a blow to his pride, and so she tried not to notice how cold he looked and she tried not to think about how uncomfortable he must be. When she struggled to take her mind off the matter, she decided to do the only thing she could think of under the circumstances to distract herself.

"Did you know your mother was part of a group of girls who went out looking for an adventure?"

Botan waited for Hiei to answer and when he did not, she sensed that he was maybe displeased with her choice of topic of conversation.

"You said you didn't want to talk about your father," she pointed out. "You didn't say we couldn't talk about your mother."

"In case you missed the point of what was discussed during our brief time in the ice village, I was thrown out of the village shortly after my birth, and my mother died shortly after that," Hiei replied. "During the brief few minutes I was allowed to be in the same room as her – immediately following my birth – I didn't really get much of a chance to discuss things like her favourite hobbies with her."

Botan growled in frustration.

"That's not what I meant!" she snapped irritably. "And you don't have to be so sarcastic about it! I know you never knew your mother, but you did say you had visited the village before and spoken to someone there about her. I just wondered if the subject of how she was part of a group of adventurous girls had come up during your last visit?"

"No," Hiei quietly replied.

"No you didn't know about it before now?" Botan asked.

"I didn't know about it until now."

"Don't you think it's curious?"

"Not really."

"Well it is."

"I don't see how."

"Well, doesn't it make you wonder if your mother chose to be a part of such a group and their activities or if she ended up being influenced by them?"

Botan caught Hiei giving her a warning glare and she knew that she was perhaps pushing him a little too far, but she was curious to know if he had come to the same conclusions that she had upon hearing that Hina had been part of a group of like-minded individuals.

"Haven't you ever wondered about your mother's past, Hiei?" she asked carefully. "I don't know how long the ice village has existed, but I'm guessing it's been there for hundreds of years, and in all that time, only eight other ice maidens have ever done what your mother did. It must have been difficult for her to make the decisions she did."

"There were probably a lot more than nine of them."

Botan frowned and tilted her head.

"But there were only nine emikos born," she pointed out.

"Yes because only nine of the ice maidens who ever fell pregnant with an emiko both made it back to the ice village and survived their pregnancy."

Botan's face fell.

"Still want to talk about it?" Hiei asked.

"I still think it's curious," she replied.

"There's nothing curious about it," he said.

"Yes there is. Look at how nosy Nanako and her friends were: but you don't see them forming a gang and going on adventures outside of their village. Do you think the others knew that your mother and her friends left the village? Did they sneak out or did they get permission to leave? What happened when they came back? Did they come back?"

"Nanako and her friends are too young, give them time. My mother obviously came back to the ice village: how else would I have been born there?"

"Don't you wonder how the other emikos' mothers found their way back? Don't you wonder why they went back? If they knew their babies would be cast out and that they themselves would be shunned by the rest of their clan, why did they go back?"

"I don't know and I don't care."

"Well you should."

"It's really not relevant to what we're trying to do."

"But it is. Don't you think a woman who has grown up in the ice village, living that sheltered life, and then obsessing over men the way Nanako was back there, would choose someone a little more… Suave than Inuyusha as her lover?"

"That's almost funny. If it wasn't true and it wasn't so pathetic, it might actually be amusing."

"It just seems strange. As a girl who has spent a lot of time thinking about romance herself, I can't understand why any girl would want anything to do with that dirty old dog demon."

"That's because you don't understand how "romance" works here in demon world."

Botan tried not to smile as the idea occurred to her that she might be able to use her conversation with Hiei about the ice maidens to push him into talking to her about her own lovelife.

"Romance doesn't follow any rules, Hiei," she tried. "Not in spirit world, living world or even here in demon world."

"If by "romance" you mean irrational flights of fancy suffered by the simple-minded then I suppose you might be right," he replied. "But when it comes to choosing lovers, there are a very clear set of rules of standards, and that applies across all three worlds."

Botan fought harder not to smile as her interest piqued.

"Really?" she said, unable to keep the fascination from her tone.

"Yes," Hiei replied.

"Well then explain why one of your mother's friends chose Inuyusha as a lover?"

Botan felt certain that Hiei would back out of their conversation at that point: knowing how sensitive a subject both the ice maidens and the dog demons were for him, she was sure he would either say something cutting to end the conversation or else ignore her. And so she was shocked when he did in fact reply.

"It's simple. He has two of the three required qualities."

Botan scrunched up her face.

"And those are rules that apply in the human world as well as the demon," Hiei added.

"I honestly can't think of two qualities Inuyusha has that make him in any way desirable," Botan confessed.

"The qualities required differ from one world to the next: but within each world they are consistent," Hiei replied.

"I had no idea you knew so much about human relations."

"It's not something I tried to find out about. It's just something that's plainly obvious."

"…Not to me, apparently…"

"I find that hard to believe."

Botan arched her eyebrows expectant of further explanation for Hiei's last remark, but he offered none.

"Alright then Mister Smarty Pants," she said. "Explain it to me."

"There's nothing to explain," Hiei replied. "It's one of the most basic concepts of life."

"Well since I'm death, I don't understand it."

"Hn, that's a novel argument."

"And the truth. So start explaining."

Hiei looked about himself as though he expected to find the answer lying somewhere on the barren, snowy hillside, before growling out a sigh of obvious exasperation.

"Fine," he conceded. "I'll explain what I know."

Botan again fought to hide her enthusiasm for fear that Hiei would cease talking if he knew just how captivating she found his speech to be.

"In demon world, there are three qualities considered necessary in a lover," he continued. "Strength, wealth and influence. And that's the order they matter in too. An S-class demon is far more attractive than a D-class demon. A rich A-class demon is as attractive as a poor S-class demon. A tribe leader with no money and a low power ranking can still be considered desirable just because he has such influence over others."

"Like Inuyusha."

"Exactly like Inuyusha. Now do you understand?"

"I understand nothing."

Hiei stopped walking and Botan stopped at his side. He looked angry, though she could not really understand why: surely he realised what he had just said was contentious, and her stubborn reaction ought not to be surprising to him.

"What you're talking about isn't romance," she reminded him. "What you're talking about is logic and practicality. Romance is neither logical nor practical!"

"I never said I was talking about romance," Hiei flatly replied. "I already agreed with you that romance isn't logical or practical. I was talking about reality, not fantasy."

"Okay, I accept that what you were talking about happens," Botan conceded. "But romance overrides it all! When someone falls in love, logic and practicality are thrown out the window!"

"I wouldn't know anything about that," Hiei said.

"Because you've never fallen madly in love with someone?"

"No."

"Right, well, let me tell you that… Wait… No you've never fallen madly in love with someone or no you have?"

"…What?"

"Well… The way you answered, it could have meant either outcome…"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I said "you've never fallen madly in love with someone" and you said "no". Were you saying no to agree or disagree with what I said?"

"I wouldn't ever allow myself do something so pointless as "fall madly in love with someone"."

"It's not something you have any control over. It can happen to anyone at any time. That's what makes it so wonderful."

"Maybe it's wonderful for you. For me it's just pointless."

"Because you think you're too cool and too in control to do something so reckless."

"I do reckless things all the time. I just don't do pointless things."

"Love isn't pointless!"

"Maybe not for you."

"I refuse to believe that you are incapable of loving someone, Hiei."

"You're looking at this from the wrong angle."

Botan started to argue back but stopped short when she realised that Hiei was looking at her with that strange look on his face again – that look he had been wearing on and off ever since Inukasai's arrival. She took it to mean that something else was going on, and when she took a moment to consider his last statement, she suddenly realised that she had not really been listening to what he had been saying to her. She had already reached the conclusion that he would be dismissive of romance because he would think it was frivolous and he was too in control and too indifferent to be affected by it: she had never considered that maybe he had entirely different reasons for not wanting to talk about it.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Hiei and Botan continue their journey, discussing many things along the way, and getting one step closer to the inevitable next stop on their adventure: a visit to the bandits who raised Hiei. **Chapter 15 – Bite Me**


	15. Bite Me

**A/N:** "Takeo" means "violent warrior male"

* * *

 **Chapter 15 – Bite Me**

"Let's keep moving. We're wasting time again, and as you well know, we don't have time to waste: especially not if we have to track down Takeo and his men before we go back."

The ferry girl's face changed and Hiei tried to contain his relief. He had no desire whatsoever to revisit Takeo and his gang of travelling bandits, but in that moment, he was willing to agree to just about anything rather than continue the conversation Botan had been goading him into. He was almost certain she already knew the miserable truth about his life and that all her prying was really only her way of getting him to fill in minor gaps in her knowledge rather than the innocent questions of someone entirely naïve to the subject.

"Is Takeo one of the bandits your father sold you to?" she asked.

"Yes," Hiei tightly replied.

"Right," she said with a nod of her head. "Did you use your jagan eye to find where he is?"

"I don't need to," Hiei admitted. "His bandits are currently squatting in an abandoned temple by the salt flats. They've been there the last twice I've worked a patrol."

Botan nodded and started to walk on, which was an even greater relief. Hiei followed after her, and together they continued down the mountainside in silence. Walking at a pace the ferry girl could keep up with through snow was painful for Hiei, but it was proving to be a useful stalling tactic and the difficult conditions and difficult journey would hopefully keep her quiet. In the back of his mind he was trying to think of a way to convince her that she should go back to spirit world, but he was struggling to find any logical argument to present her with. It seemed wrong to just order her to leave, especially after everything she had endured over the past few days and all at his expense, and as diplomacy had never been Hiei's forte, he was left debating the matter in his mind. His only consolation was that Botan did stay quiet and left him to stew in his own thoughts for some time, only talking again when they had moved far enough down the mountain that the snow was getting shallower, and the rough and rocky terrain underfoot was starting to become more pronounced, turning the walk into more of a scramble.

"Can we stop for a break?" she asked.

"No," Hiei replied.

"But my legs are tired and we've been walking for hours!"

"It hasn't been that long and we still have a long way to go."

"I don't remember it being this long on the way up…"

"You were unconscious on the way up."

"Oh… Right…"

They walked on a little further and Hiei hoped that he would enjoy at least another hour of silence: but unfortunately he did not even get a whole minute without the ferry girl talking.

"About that…" she said, her voice so soft it was almost carried away on the still fairly bracing winds around them. "This is a pretty tough journey… The mountain is steep, the snow is deep, the wind is difficult to walk through, it keeps snowing, there's a sort of fog in the air still…"

"That's all a part of how the ice maidens help keep their home so inaccessible," Hiei told her.

"Yes, of course, that does make sense, but still…"

"Make a point or stop talking. You're wasting energy that you're going to need to make it down the mountain."

"I just can't believe you carried me over all of this yesterday. Aren't you tired?"

"No."

"Oh."

Hiei enjoyed another very brief respite before the ferry girl continued their (what seemed to be) pointless conversation.

"How did you manage it?"

He hoped that if he ignored her, she might not bother him any further.

"It's such a long way, the path is so uneven, I was a dead weight and you had my bag too–"

"Forget about it."

"I can't!"

"Well you should."

"It can't have been easy for you."

"My physical strength and endurance is so vastly superior to yours, I don't expect you to understand."

"Oh, I wasn't talking about that aspect of it any more. I meant it can't have been easy for you to take me to the ice village like you did. What happened when you got there? Did they send you back out after you arrived there with me?"

"That's not important. Focus on walking. You don't want to spend a whole day in this weather, do you?"

Hiei thought it vaguely odd that the ferry girl did not answer him, especially when he had asked a question – not that he had asked it intending to initiate further conversation, but she was never the type to leave a question hanging in the air unanswered – but he decided not to question his luck, and instead kept his head down. After a few seconds more, when she was still suspiciously quiet, Hiei glanced in her direction, doing a distinct double-take and stumbling to a halt as he realised that she was no longer at his side. He glanced about the bleak hillside, feeling more panicked than he thought possible as he tried to locate her. He expected to find her collapsed in the snow after having tripped over a rock or lost her balance against a particularly cruel blast of wind: but what he instead found was far worse.

"What the hell are you doing?" he yelled, hoping his voice would carry out over the snow and wind and reach the ferry girl's ears.

He was unsure if she had heard his words or even the sound of his voice when all she did was look his way and smile and wave at him. She was, inexplicably and illogically, sitting on her battered oar and floating a few feet off the ground, clearly struggling to both kept herself airborne and in place against the wind buffeting against her. As she yelped, her legs kicking up and her hands gripping her oar more tightly to steady herself against another sudden gust of wind, Hiei wondered when and how she had recovered the damn thing. The last time he had seen her damaged oar had been when he had stepped over it as it lay on the hillside where she had crashed it. He had deliberately not taken it with him and he had deliberately not told her as much in the hope that she would just assume it was missing or else had been beyond salvation following their accident.

"We can move faster this way."

Hiei narrowed his eyes – partly because he was getting snowflakes in his eyes but mostly because he was sneering at Botan – and watched the ferry girl swaying through the air along a juddering, fragile flight-path that brought her to a point almost directly above his head.

"Are you out of your tiny mind?" he asked, not even bothering to raise his voice as he was sure she would be able to understand him even if she did not hear his words.

"Which direction are we going?" she asked, leaving him wondering if she had heard or understood him after all.

"Down the mountain?" he sarcastically replied.

"Yes, but which way?" she responded.

"Down?"

She sighed and lowered herself until she was almost eye-level with him.

"I can fly above the clouds and get out of this weather," she said. "But once I'm up there, I won't be able to see which way I'm going."

"Now I understand," Hiei said.

"Oh good," Botan said.

"You're insane."

"What?"

"Do you remember what happened the last time you flew on that stick?"

"That was a unique incident. It won't happen again."

"You don't know that."

"I fly above the clouds all the time, I do know that!"

"And the object you use to fly is broken."

"So does that mean you don't want to come with me?"

Hiei narrowed his eyes again – though this time not because of the snow – and let out a long, low growl.

* * *

Hiei was not really sure how he ended up on the ferry girl's oar, nor was he sure when he had decided that eating the dried food she had produced from her bag was a good idea, but, as the cloud cover below his feet began to thin and snippets of the landscape below revealed that they were still a long way from the divide in the mountain path, the sight of the snowy landscape made him strangely pleased to be flying and relieved to have something to snack on. He was not even sure what it was that he was eating: it had been cured so extensively it was the texture of thin leather. And the colour of thin leather. And it tasted like salted leather. But the chewiness of the food was keeping Botan's mouth busy doing something other than talking at him and the saltiness was satisfying, and so he chewed on, keeping his eyes down on the land below.

The ride on Botan's battered oar was not exactly smooth; although the shakiness was less noticeable than it had been when he had first boarded alongside her. He could not tell if that was because she had learned how to better control the damaged oar, if it was because the wind was weakening or if it was a combination of the two, but it was a little easier not to be anticipating another crash landing when the pilot seemed more in control.

"Is it much further?" Botan asked through a mouthful of food.

"Another hour I think," Hiei replied.

"It will be so nice to get a nice long soak in the hot springs," she commented.

"You said that already," Hiei reminded her. "Many times over."

"It's just such a pity I don't have any clean underwear… I feel it would have been impertinent and a little awkward to ask the ice maidens for a set of clean underwear, but they did give me these clothes and they had no inhibitions talking to me about far more personal matters… Hm, perhaps I should have said something. Unless I can get some clothing supplies in this area we are heading to?"

"What are you talking about? You have a spare pair of panties in your bag."

"Inuyusha took all my underwear. Or did you forget? Seems odd that you could forget something like that. I don't think I'll ever forget it. Just thinking about it now makes me finally understand what Kuwabara means when he says he needs "brain bleach" after listening to Yusuke talk about the contents of those lewd magazines he likes to read."

"Inuyusha didn't take all your underwear. He left one pair of panties."

Hiei stuffed the remainder of the dry, salty foodstuff into his mouth and began the laborious process of chewing it into something digestible. As he chewed, it occurred to him that he had been the last to speak and that Botan had, surprisingly and uncharacteristically, not answered him. He was starting to notice that the only times she did not respond verbally to something he had said was when she was either up to something nefarious or he had said something she had found so shocking, she was too overcome to talk. As he slowly moved his eyes to her, sitting at his side on her oar, he started to suspect the latter: her mouth was hanging open and he could see every soggy, half-chewed morsel of food she had been working on for the past few minutes.

"What?" he grunted.

"How do you know that?" she asked.

"Don't spit food at me," Hiei replied.

The ferry girl purposefully swallowed the contents of her mouth and then adopted a sterner look.

"Don't change the subject," she retaliated. "How do you know that? And if he did leave me with one pair of panties, why didn't I find them when I was looking through my bag?"

"You didn't look hard enough."

"When were you raking through my bag?"

"When you spilled the whole thing over the mountainside after you crashed us into a rock!"

"I didn't crash deliberately! I was badly hurt! I wouldn't do something like that to myself on purpose!"

"Just make sure you don't do it again."

"It was an accident, I was tired, I couldn't see where I was going, I didn't know where I was going and it was an accident!"

"Be more mindful."

"Maybe I could have been more mindful if I hadn't had someone sleeping all over me."

"I wasn't sleeping all over you! I fell on you when you crashed!"

"You were lying on my lap for hours, Hiei."

Hiei swallowed the contents of his mouth and narrowed his eyes at Botan, feeling both surprised and irritated when she copied his action.

"I thought you'd be happy to know you had a change of underwear after you were obsessing over it so much earlier," he pointed out.

"I am happy!" she moodily replied.

"So I can see," Hiei sarcastically replied.

"I'm landing now because I'm thirsty and I can see water!"

Hiei grunted and grasped at the oar either side of himself as Botan suddenly carried out her erratic words and plunged downwards through an especially thick clump of cloud. She descended with alarming speed before coming to a surprisingly smooth stop by the edge of a small pool, fed by thin veins of water from the rocks above it. Hiei leapt off the oar an instant before it disappeared, but he barely noticed that he had almost fallen off, his attention instead focused on the size of the pool – which was relatively tiny and obscured from view by the rocks and lichen around its edges – and the sky immediately overhead, which was so cloudy he could not see the part of the sky they had been flying through before they had started their descent.

"I'll take enough to last us," Botan commented as she began filling a flask in the pool.

"You saw this from up there?" he asked her.

"Yes," she replied, her tone vaguely sarcastic. "That's why I said I was coming here for water and that's why I came here. For water."

"Through the clouds and from all the way up there?" Hiei asked, ignoring her mordancy.

"I can see things, Hiei."

"From all the way up there? Through the clouds?"

When Botan paused, her hands and the flask still plunged into the pool of icy cold water, Hiei started to realise his mistake. She slowly turned her head to look back up over her shoulder at him, revealing a sly and slightly smug smirk that he had already known would be on her face.

"Are you impressed?" she asked.

"No," he lied.

"I see everything when I'm flying," she flippantly replied, turning back to her task. "Everything."

"Of course you do. You're always looking for things."

"Yes, I am very inquisitive."

"Interfering was the word I was thinking of."

"I like to think of it as a gift."

"That it's never gotten you killed is your only gift."

Hiei turned from the ferry girl and began surveying his surroundings. The mountain that preceded the glacial village was even bleaker than the village itself, even at their lower altitude, where there was only a sparse covering of snow and hints of plant life were starting to emerge. The divide in the path was closer than he had thought – apparently he was not as good at judging distance or direction from the air as he had given himself credit for, and he was certainly nowhere near to Botan's skill level – which meant that soon they would be able to stop again. As he thought about just that, Hiei realised that he needed to find a way to convince the ferry girl to continue the next part of their journey on foot, as at least that way he would be able to get his bearings and regain some control over their situation again.

Though he felt that he had long since lost control of both his current situation and his own life. Fate was a funny thing.

"Right I think that should be enough to keep us going for a while," Botan said as she stuffed four flasks of water into her bag.

Hiei watched her summon her oar and hang the bag of the end of the handle as she sat down onto it. Once she was settled, she turned to him and smiled gently.

"I'll continue on foot," he said. "Just in case."

"Just in case what?" she asked, her smiled faltering. "Come on, don't be silly. Just come with me."

Hiei hesitated just long enough to wonder if Botan's last statement was oddly relevant to more than just the prospect of flying with her – if in fact just going with her to demon world in the first place had been silly – before making a begrudging grunting noise and then leaping onto her oar and settling at her side, all the while trying to ignore the way she looked far too pleased with herself.

"Fly lower this time," he ordered brusquely as they started to rise through the air. "I need visibility of the landscape."

"I can see everything from up in the sky," she said.

"I need visibility of the landscape," he repeated.

He had deliberately put an extra emphasis on the "I" the second time around, which he felt was enough of a concession to convey to the ferry girl that he did not share her preternatural aerial visual skills. Thankfully she either understood his problem or just decided to follow his instruction as she stopped ascending once they were comfortably clear of the rocky landscape, and Hiei was silently glad that he had not needed to literally explain every word of what he was thinking to Botan in order for her to do the right thing.

Maybe it was that thing Nanako had mentioned back in the ice village: how a married couple understand each other without the need for spoken words.

* * *

Botan was surprised at just how long the mountain path was; but up ahead she could see what looked like the divide in the path Hiei had mentioned. The wind was lessening and the air temperature was slowly but continually rising, and the cloud cover was thinning, making the entire experience less challenging. Travelling away from the storms and the cold and dead landscape was actually quite an exhilarating experience; which only made her wonder how daunting travelling into the worst of the storms and the cold and dead landscape must have been for Hiei the day before. But, despite how difficult the journey must have been for him – through the snow and the storms and carrying both Botan and her bag – he was still darting about the hillside below her as she flew, as if he had not spent the previous day doing something that really ought to have been exhausting to even the toughest of physical beings.

Seeing Hiei's determination was reassuring: because, as she flew after him alone, without his conversation to distract her from her own thoughts, Botan could not help but wonder how Koenma was going to react when he found out that she was not doing as he had asked of her. On the surface at least she did appear to be following his orders, which was the impression she appeared to have given the ice village liaison officer. Hopefully the liaison officer would report back to Koenma that Botan was doing what he had ordered her to – follow Hiei around to observe his actions and take notes to report back to spirit world with – and hopefully that would buy her more time. It was already well into Monday, and she could tell by the seemingly neverending expanse of barren mountain landscape ahead of her that the journey to the salt flats would require at least one more night in demon world, which meant it would be Tuesday before she even reached Takeo and his gang. And even if she and Hiei managed to successfully get proof of Inukasai's identity on their next stop, by the time they relayed the information back to Yukina, Botan already knew she would have gone past her Friday deadline for reporting back to Koenma.

She felt strangely detached then. Botan had never thought it possible for a ferry girl to ascend to a position on the spirit world council, and so learning that the ice village liaison officer was a former ferry girl had both renewed her hope that she could achieve such an elevated position and reminded her that once Koenma learned of her insubordination, she was likely to spend the rest of her existence as a ferry girl. It was sickening to come so close to reaching a dream goal just to have it pulled away indefinitely at the last possible hurdle. The alternative, however, was unthinkable: she could never betray a friend, and the task Koenma had assigned her required her to do exactly that. She was so absorbed in her ambivalence that she overshot Hiei before realising that he had stopped below her. Hurriedly awakening to her surroundings again, she turned in the air and swooped down to join him, slipping off her oar to stand alongside him on a length of path with only a faint dusting of snow.

"Is this the divide in the path?" she asked, looking over each of her shoulders. "Which way do we go?"

"The hot springs are this way," he replied, pointing to one side of himself along a path that ran around the side of the mountain.

"Okay," she said, summoning her oar again.

"Walk with me."

Botan stopped short, one arm extended at an awkward angle in front of herself as she had been midway through swinging her oar around to sit onto it again.

"Because that's what you want, isn't it?" Hiei asked her.

Botan banished her oar and slowly let her arm move back down to her side. Deep down she did want to walk with Hiei because talking to him stopped her from dwelling on her own conflicting thoughts and stopped her from worrying about what the days ahead would hold for her: but she had to wonder how Hiei knew that. She knew that he could have read her mind, but she had always thought that he was only capable of reading surface thoughts, and she had not been actively thinking that she would rather walk with him than fly alone. She contemplated asking him about the matter – because she was concerned that if he had been reading her thoughts, he may also have seen why she was so in need of the distraction of idle conversation – and she knew that he would probably answer her if she worded her query in a flattering manner (like "has your mastery of the jagan increased that you can now read subconscious thoughts and desires?") but he had that odd look on his face again, and she did not feel able to pester him about the matter.

"Yes," she said instead. "Let's walk together."

Botan walked a little stiffly at first, partly because she felt a little awkward and partly because her legs were a little stiff anyway after sitting on her oar for so long.

"I don't know that going to meet with Takeo is going to yield any worthwhile answers," Hiei commented as they walked.

Botan was surprised that he had been the one to break the ice, but as his words sounded like a diplomatic attempt to discourage her from continuing with him to the salt flats, she brushed the thought aside and quickly responded.

"You don't know that it won't, and since the ice maidens weren't any help, we have to exhaust every other avenue at our disposal," she said.

"You make it sound like a tireless quest," he replied.

"It is," she said.

"For me."

"And for me."

"You do know you're not obliged to continue on with me."

"Yes I do know that. But we can't stop now."

"You're tenacious."

"I am when it comes to finding answers, yes."

"Why? Just because you can't control your own curiosity?"

"No, because it's the right thing to do."

"Interfering and almost dying to find information is the right thing to do?"

"Yes."

"Why do you think that way?"

Botan could not help from glancing at Hiei in an interested and vaguely amused manner: it was unlike him to be so chatty or to ask so many questions.

"It's something I feel and believe in," she said. "But it's also something I was taught during my training in spirit world."

"Spirit world taught you to be nosy," Hiei said. "Well that makes more sense."

"It's not being nosy!" Botan snapped haughtily. "It's about eating all those apples before the snake gets them!"

"...What?"

"It's a metaphor."

"For what? Your slipping sanity?"

Botan sighed and shook her head.

"I suppose you've never heard the story of the snake and the apple, it's part of a lesson they teach in spirit world, so I doubt it's something anyone cares for in demon world," she said. "The story goes that a man and woman live in paradise, but there is an apple tree there. They are told not to eat the apples, but one day a snake offers one of the apples to the woman, and she eats it. Because she eats the apple, she then learns about so many things she never knew about before."

Botan waited for Hiei to comment, and when he did not after what she deemed to be a reasonable amount of time, she turned her head to look at him.

"You're an idiot," he told her as their eyes met.

"How so?" she asked, feeling more than a little perturbed by his response.

"Because you've entirely missed the point of that story," he replied.

"No I haven't!" she argued. "The point of the story is that there will always be snakes – like Inukasai – who try to stop you from eating apples – or learning the truth about life – but you have to ignore the snakes and eat the apples!"

"That's not the lesson at all. Did you fail that class by any chance?"

"Yes I did, but it wasn't because I didn't know enough about stealing apples from snakes!"

"The story goes that the man and woman live in paradise, and they have everything they want. The only rule they must obey is not to eat the apples. The snake keeps trying to tempt them, but if they can resist, they can live forever in paradise. They surrender to temptation and they are rejected from paradise. It's a parable about the follies of curiosity."

"I prefer my version."

"Your version is a gross misunderstanding and literal simplification of a metaphorical tale of morality."

"How do you even know what the tale is about?"

"I've read a lot of stolen material from spirit world."

"Oh... I see... Well, I still prefer my version."

"Hn."

Botan almost tripped over when she realised that Hiei was smiling at her side.

"What?" she asked him. "What are you thinking?"

"So if you had the choice of living in eternal paradise, you would chose to eat the apple and know about evil rather than live forever happy in ignorance?" he responded.

"Wouldn't you?" she shot back.

"Well yes, I would," he said. "Of course I would. But surely you, as an ambassador of spirit world and a pacifist, would choose the life of comfort and ignorance?"

"Hiei! Listen to yourself!

"Why are you offended? Because I suggested you'd choose ignorance over knowledge for the sake of an easy existence?"

"No, because you called me a pacifist. Clearly you don't know me as well as I thought you did."

Botan smiled quite smugly to herself as she was speaking, feeling sure that she was delivering a sharp rebuttal: but her smile vanished when she finished talking and Hiei made a grunting noise that sounded dangerously close to a snort of laughter.

"Are you feeling alright?" she asked him.

"I'll feel better once I get rid of Inukasai," he replied.

Botan nodded slowly, finding his answer more typical and his tone back to its usual flatness.

"Yes, I suppose," she agreed. "Still, I would have liked to have found out which of the ice maidens was Inukasai's mother. I really have to wonder what sort of girl would want anything to do with Inuyusha."

"We already went over this," Hiei replied, his tone slightly tighter. "It's not about his charm, wit or good looks, it's about his power, wealth and influence."

"Still doesn't make any sense," Botan complained. "An ice maiden shouldn't care about any of those things. They're raised not to."

"They're also raised not to desire or even so much as think about men."

"All the more reason why they shouldn't go for someone just because he's powerful, rich and influential."

"They all go for someone who's powerful, rich and influential. That's just the way it is."

"You don't know that for sure, least of all with the ice maidens."

"I do know that for sure. That's just the way it is."

"Not in my experience."

"You – by your own admission – don't have any experience. Therefore your opinion is only: an opinion. It isn't fact."

"It's not a universal rule though."

"It is in demon world."

"I bet it's not. I bet we could find exceptions to the rule."

"I never have."

"Maybe you haven't looked hard enough."

"Attraction here is based on power, influence and wealth. Take away any one and the ability to attract a mate is lessened. Take away all three and the ability the attract a mate vanishes altogether."

"Surely not."

"Just as a delicate little ice maiden would choose a hairy, unclean ball of blubber like Inuyusha because of his A-class power ranking, his influence as a tribe leader and his wealth as a tribe leader, no woman in demon world would give a second thought to a lower D-class penniless loner bandit who wilfully sacrificed what strength he did have for knowledge. You see, you story about choosing knowledge over a better life fits this story too."

Botan stopped walking, watching Hiei as he continued along the path. His last words had sounded incredibly bitter and as though he had been referencing his own life: but when had he ever been a "lower D-class penniless loner bandit"? Seeing the square-shouldered, stiff-kneed way Hiei was striding along the path he definitely looked offended, but Botan could not understand why. Not only had his description not now – or indeed ever – applied to his own life, she was sure he could never have wanted for female companionship. He was far too confident and sure of himself to have known the rejection that she had. She made a small noise of confusion and then hurried after him, catching up to him and falling into pace alongside him, whereupon they continued the rest of the journey to the hot springs in silence.

* * *

Looking up at the dark sky overhead, Botan knew that she probably should have left the water much sooner: but she almost welcomed any ill effects from soaking in a hot spring for far longer than any sane person would ever recommend doing so. It was so nice to be warm, to be clean and to be relaxed, that it was difficult to find the motivation to move, and the onset of nightfall just seemed like one more excuse not to move: it was too late and too dark to carry on the journey anyway. She sank a little lower into the water, only stopping when the waterline reached her top lip and her nose was barely clear enough to allow her to still breathe. At that level, the steam and heat haze in the air around her made visibility on the already dark hillside even more restricted; but not so much so that she did not notice something moving by the opposite end of the pool she was bathing in.

Botan started to lift herself up, but stopped once her head and neck was clear of the water, remembering then that if she left the water she would be confronting a potential attacker naked. As she tried to consider whether or not it would be safe to call for Hiei, her eyes adjusted to the dark and liquefied air just enough for her to make out what she was looking at, and her mind went blank. After a moment of thinking nothing, the first thought that did occur to her was that she should really have expected to see the sight that she was now beholding, as she was looking in the direction of the divide between the pool she was bathing in and the one Hiei had said he was going to use. It seemed slightly odd that, of all the parts of the pool he could have exited from, he had chosen to lift himself up to sit on the rocks between her pool and his – surely sitting up at one of the edges by dry land would have made more sense than balancing himself between two bodies of water – and the oddity of his positioning at first struck Botan as a cause for concern. She thought that perhaps something sinister was approaching and he had lifted himself up where she could see him so that he could signal to her to look out for the danger.

But something seemed amiss, and any sense of panic she might otherwise have felt gave way to curiosity. She carefully felt around the floor of the pool with her feet before stepping away from the edge, keeping herself submerged from the neck down. She kept squinting as she slowly crossed the pool, trying desperately to focus on what was so amiss; and the moment she realised what it was, she stopped short and had to swallow back a cry of surprise. Standing in the centre of the pool, her eyes wide and unblinking, Botan tried to tell herself that she was somehow mistaken. But, she thought as she still found herself unable to blink, Hiei's pants were very high-waisted, and if he had them on, it would be obvious even from a distance. The fact that he was still dripping wet also lent weight to the argument that he was sitting on the rocky pool wall naked, but there was still a large part of her that felt more comfortable denying it. She assumed that he did not know she could see him – because surely he would have covered himself up if he did – and she then found herself terrified that he might turn around at any moment, see her staring and think that she was some sort of Peeping Tom. She turned her head away, turning almost fully around on the spot before loudly clearing her throat in a way that she hoped would alert him to her presence. She waited a moment and then cautiously glanced over her shoulder: whereupon she found Hiei still sitting on the wall, still in the exact same position and still in the exact same state of undress.

She tried humming a tune as loudly as she could for the best part of a minute before checking over her shoulder again, her tune ending in a grunt of surprise and mild irritation when she found that he was still unaffected. She turned away again and pouted in defeat. It was not like he was facing her, she thought. It was not as though she had really seen anything that she had not seen before – in fact, she had seen more that time Shizuru had dared her and Keiko to sneak into the locker rooms during the dark tournament – but it was still the principle of the matter. She tried humming louder, the noise coming out as more of a high-pitched, atonal whine than anything tuneful. Once she had reached the point where her throat was aching, she stopped, caught her breath, and then turned around.

"Was that you making that noise? I thought I had a gnat stuck in my ear."

Botan pouted again, this time feeling sure that Hiei was mocking her. He was sitting facing away from her, but he had turned his head to look back over his shoulder at her, and he was definitely still naked and making no effort to cover himself up.

"I just wanted you to know that I'm here," she told him.

"I hadn't forgotten that," he muttered, turning his head away again.

"I'm getting out of the water now," she added.

"You probably should, you've been in there far too long."

Botan stuck out her tongue at the back of Hiei's head and then paused long enough to see if he would react before accepting that he was not watching her in any way. She then slunk over to the exit point farthest from where he was sitting and, after one more backward glance to confirm that he wasn't watching her, she slipped out of the water and began hurriedly pulling on her clothes again. Dismissing how awful it felt wrapping a fleece-lined silk kimono around wet skin, she turned to her bag to commence setting up her tent. As she sighted the bag, and saw its diminished size, she was suddenly struck by a vision of the tent, as she had left it, set-up by the edge of a forest, far back on the other side of the mountain she was still descending.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Hiei and Botan journey on, and along the way, they meet Hiei's mother, who had sensed their approach and set out to meet them; though she's a little confused when she hears that her son has married. Together all three reach the temple and Hiei's former gang of bandits, where a hearty reunion is on the cards. **Chapter 16 – Thieves in the Temple**


	16. Thieves in the Temple

**A/N:** This chapter is the official start of what is my own personal favourite part of this story. The earlier chapters were intended to set up and contrast against what happens from here on out: plot about to get deep and dark, and romance between Hiei and Botan about to escalate.

* * *

 **Chapter 16 – Thieves in the Temple**

Hiei looked out over the hillside in one direction to see the rising sun and then he turned in the other direction to find Botan still sleeping in a position that almost made it look as though someone had thrown her down from a great height. Between her improperly fastened kimono with its thermal lining, her harshly cropped and still slightly damp hair and her apparent need to sprawl each of her limbs in different directions as she slept, she was taking up so much space, it was a wonder she ever managed to fit into a normal bed. It made him all the more sure that it was her fault that he had ended up squished up to her in the bed they had shared in Nanako's house back in the ice village. As he watched her, the sound of soft, stilted snoring subtly escaping her slightly parted lips, he considered telling her that her sleeping habits would surely be a major turn-off for all the men she was apparently trying to seduce; but he found himself strangely unable to criticise that particular area of her life.

In fact, the more time he spent with her, the deeper into his personal crisis she came with him, the more his disinterest and disgust in her situation was turning into a morbid interest and almost sympathy. Hiei had never felt sympathetic towards anyone or anything, and he did not really think that this latest feeling was the start of a pattern or in any way indicative of a change in his character; he thought that perhaps it was just a side-effect of being around the ferry girl so much. She had been incredibly sympathetic, understanding and supportive of him lately, and he told himself that it was only fair that he at least attempted to reciprocate some of those feelings towards her.

Increasingly, as their journey brought no results, Hiei found himself faced with the distinct possibility that, at the end of it all, the ferry girl Botan might be his only remaining ally.

Botan was so caught up in finding answers (or eating apples, as she apparently saw it) and she was so sure that the truth would always trump any sort of deceit that she had not even considered what either of them would do if they did not find a legitimate way to expose the truth about Inukasai. And he had to also assume that she had not considered the passage of time: they had been gone for several days already, and during that time everyone else involved in the mess Inukasai had created had been carrying on with their lives. All the time Hiei and Botan had been gone, the seed of doubt Inukasai's appearance and claims had sown into the minds of Yusuke and Kurama was taking root, and the strong, positive first impression he had made on Yukina and Kuwabara was lasting, and he was rapidly endearing himself to them in ways almost no-one else ever had. The longer Hiei and Botan were gone, the more time Inukasai had to convince everyone else what a fantastic guy he was and to create the illusion that Hiei and Botan had been the ones who had been lying and acting without honour when they had opposed him.

The damage the faker had caused was already irreparable, but very soon it would also be irreversible.

Yukina would be so enamoured with her "brother" that she would forever accept him as such, and, in his ignorance, of course Kuwabara would also adopt Inukasai for what he said he was. Yusuke – who seemed not to think it was such a big deal – would, with time, accept the situation, and end up telling Hiei he was the one being ridiculous about it. Kurama, for the sake of keeping the peace, would go along with the lie, and tell Hiei that the only solution would be to tell Yukina what he knew. Visits to Yukina would involve either seeing or having to listen to stories about Inukasai and his tawdry wife, making it unbearable and ultimately pointless to ever go to the living world again. And even his life in demon world had been ruined: Hiei was still bitter about the way Mukuro had assumed the worst of him after seeing the footage of Inukasai attacking a patrol unit, and that she had not even attempted to apologise after she had realised her mistake. Going back to her felt awkward, but if he did not go back, he did not know what else he would do. His only other option seemed to be to return to his old life: which made the journey to meet up with his old crew of bandits all the more ironic.

Hiei wondered then what Botan would do at the end of it all. She would obviously go back to her job in spirit world, but her relationship with her friends in the living world had been severely compromised by Inukasai's interference. She at least had the sanctuary of her home world to return to though: the idiot Koenma would probably not even have noticed her extended absence and accept her back without question. She was not going to have to face the trials of character that Hiei would if she chose to just go back home.

The idea briefly occurred to Hiei that maybe it was not the ferry girl who was extending their "quest": maybe it was him. Maybe he was deliberately drawing it out because the alternative – facing either Mukuro or Yukina – was something he was not yet prepared to do.

"Hey," he said sharply. "Wake up."

He stepped closer to the ferry girl, glaring down at her expectantly. Her constant theorising and mindless chatter was so irksome, but Hiei found that it was also strangely a very welcome distraction from his darker thoughts, and increasingly so with time.

"Wake up!" he barked.

"I didn't touch your strawberry shortcake Sir, I swear."

Hiei sneered at Botan as she moaned and began to stir. He had no desire to find out what she had been dreaming about that had caused her to wake with such an outburst – or that such an outburst was instinctive for her because she had a habit of stealing sweet pastries from her boss – but he did want her up.

"We have to keep moving," he added.

"Oh Hiei, is it morning already?" she asked, squinting up at him through a haze of semi-consciousness.

"Yes," he flatly replied. "What were those dry, salty pieces of leather we ate yesterday?"

"The dried meat snacks in my bag?" she asked.

"They were disgusting," Hiei replied.

Botan slowly pushed herself up onto her elbows, wincing as though sleeping on rocks covered with just a thin cushioning layer of lichen had been uncomfortable for her, despite how deeply asleep she had just been.

"Do you have any more of them?"

Botan looked up at Hiei from one corner of her eye.

"The dried meat?" she asked.

"I'm hungry," Hiei replied.

"But wait," she said, moving into a sitting position. "Didn't you just say that you thought–"

"I'm hungry," Hiei cut her off.

She looked up at him for a moment longer before nodding and slowly rising to her feet. She yawned unashamedly as she dragged her heels towards her bag, whereupon she dropped to a crouch in a way that almost looked as though she had tripped, and she began clumsily opening the zip. Hiei started pacing as he waited for her to finish her task, which she carried out at in infuriatingly slow pace. After several painful seconds, she rose to her feet again, bunches of the leathery foodstuffs in each of her hands. She started towards him, her eyes glancing back and forth between her two hands.

"Which flavour do you want?" she asked.

"They come in different flavours?" Hiei asked incredulously.

"Yes, don't you remember?" Botan replied. "Some are beef teriyaki flavour and some are sweet and sour pork."

"They all taste sour."

"Yes, they're not especially delectable, but in times of desperation, they do hit the spot."

Hiei waited to see if Botan would say any more before snatching away the contents of her hand nearest him.

"I guess I'll be having the beef teriyaki then..." she muttered.

Hiei ignored her comment, instead focusing on getting what sustenance he could from the dried crap she had given him. Once he was done he turned to find Botan still chewing her way through the first of her own bunch of sticks.

"We should fly again," he said, once he was sure her mouth was too full of tough and chewy food for her to coherently question him on his remark. "We need to get clear of the highlands today. If we make good time, we could reach the salt flats by early evening."

Botan nodded her head before stuffing the rest of her food shard into her mouth and then summoning her still damaged oar.

"Can't you summon one that isn't broken?" Hiei asked her as thought occurred to him.

"It doesn't work that way, Hiei," she replied, sitting onto her unstable vehicle of choice.

"It doesn't make any sense," Hiei grumbled.

"Chin up Hiei, I have a good feeling about today!"

Hiei sat down hard at Botan's side and glared up at her.

"Today's the day we're going to get some solid proof that will let us take down that usurper Inukasai!" she said.

"I don't deal well with phoney optimism and pep."

Botan's face fell.

"Can't blame a girl for trying," she sighed.

They rose up through the air and started down the mountainside again, quickly accelerating to a speed Hiei felt more comfortable travelling at. The sight of the landscape whizzing by was a reassuring one, and the feeling of the air getting heavier and warmer was also very welcome. Botan continued trying to eat the inedible pieces of leather in her hand, eventually offering half of them to Hiei when she noticed him watching her. He hated them, but he was still hungry, and so he accepted the offer without hesitation. Once he had finished what she had given him he started to wish he had not bothered, because although his hunger had been abated, the saltiness of the snacks had left him uncomfortably dehydrated. He looked down for any signs of a water source, finding no substantial options. When he lifted his head again one of the ferry girl's hands appeared in front of his face, holding one of the flasks she had filled with water. He glanced at her suspiciously, but she was watching the direction she was flying, her head mostly turned away from him. He slowly took the flask from her hand and began to drink, keeping sceptical eyes on her the whole time.

"It's getting warmer," she commented.

"Yes," he replied.

"Seems silly to be wearing these clothes now," she continued.

"I don't recommend you take them off," he warned.

"I should still have my other outfit in my bag."

"Your torn and blood-stained outfit? I don't recommend you wear that where we'll be going."

"I could wash it if we find another lake or pool."

"I still don't recommend you wear it. Do you understand what bandits in demon world are like?"

"Aren't you and Kurama bandits from demon world?"

Hiei sighed. He supposed that Botan's answer was logical enough, but it did only highlight how naïve about the matter she was.

"Kurama is hardly a typical example of a bandit of demon world," he said.

"But you are?"

Hiei sighed again. He supposed he had just set up that answer too.

"The gang we are visiting are ruthless, bloodthirsty and cruel," he warned. "You need to stay with me at all times, and don't let any of them talk you into anything. Don't take anything from them – no gifts or even any food – and don't tell them anything personal about yourself. Definitely don't let them know how much money we're carrying."

"Okay," Botan said. "I can do that."

"You must do that," Hiei insisted. "It's not an option. The dog demons were stupid and relatively harmless and the ice maidens were civil compared to the group we face next."

"I see."

"I hope you do."

"I do."

"Because there's no going back. Once we've walked into their territory, we can't back out."

"Of course we can't. Not without some answers."

"This is serious, Botan. These bandits aren't like any other you may have encountered: they're snakes."

"Perfect."

"What?"

"Snakes hide apples of information."

Hiei groaned. He had definitely walked right into that one. It was painful talking to the ferry girl, and yet it was still less torturous than listening to his own thoughts.

"Do you think these bandits would know anything about Inukasai himself?" she asked.

"Unlikely," Hiei dully replied. "I don't think he ever left the dog kennel until he decided to start his quest to ruin my life."

"Probably not, he was pretty clueless."

Hiei knew that, realistically, Inukasai was far less clueless than Botan was, but he was not about to admit to the phoney have any positive qualities, least of all at the expense of someone who had an infinitely greater sense of honour.

"It's getting really warm now," Botan said.

"Yes, did you forget?" Hiei replied. "The temperature in demon world is typically quite high, that's part of the reason why the ice village is so well protected: most demons can't deal with the cold."

"Can't say I blame them. The cold was awful. Maybe that's why the heat feels so bad now..."

"You'll adjust."

"These bulky clothes are starting to feel like overkill."

"...We're not stopping for you to have a wardrobe crisis."

Hiei waited to see if Botan would argue the point further, but she appeared to take his words to heart as she let the matter go and they flew on in silence. The temperature was rising, and quite rapidly too, because not only were they dropping down towards the foot of the mountain and the more usual humid climate of demon world proper at a decent speed, but the sun was moving higher into the sky. It was a welcome change for Hiei, but he suspected the ferry girl was not so receptive to it: which was odd, because it had not appeared to bother her before. Or maybe it had bothered her before and he just had not noticed because he had blocked out her complaints about it. Or maybe it had not bothered her before and was not bothering her now; maybe she was just toiling because the intense travelling and the unpleasant confrontations and the lack of creature comforts was too much for her.

Hiei looked up at the back of Botan's head, noticing then that the ice maidens had actually done quite an unflattering job of hacking off her hair – and they literally had just hacked it off – though as the worst of it was at the very back of her head, she had probably not been able to see the damage for herself. After all the fuss she had made about looking after her personal appearance, he thought that she might be quite devastated when she did get to see the mess of hair she had been left with. She was putting up with quite a lot and yet she was still so determined, which was strangely making it harder to justify blaming any misfortunes either of them suffered on Inukasai.

The more time passed, the more hardships Botan worked through and the less results they achieved, the more Hiei started to think that maybe everything that was happening was somehow his fault.

Guilt was a strange feeling, and one Hiei had never encountered before: and he was quickly learning that it was something he wished he had never encountered at all.

* * *

The heat was unbearable. The kimono that had once seemed like a beautiful and functional piece of clothing was teaching Botan that it was possible to hate a piece of fabric more than anything else in existence. Between the humidity and her own personal sweat, the fleecy lining and silken outer layer were drenched and pressing against any area of her skin they touched, making it seem hotter and making her sweat more. It was a vicious circle. Botan remembered that Hiei had said the ice maidens traded the clothing they made for goods, and she wondered if they deliberately made the clothing as items of torture, designed to make those that dared to live in warmer climates suffer. After some of the things she had witnessed and experienced during her time in the ice village, she could not dismiss the idea that Nanako and her friends had put the kimono on her as an act of cruelty; she was still also almost certain they had cut her hair off for the very same reason.

Standing by a marshland in the valley by the foot of the mountains, Botan thought that she finally understood both the definition and origin of the word "sweltering": it was a word formed from the words "sweating" and "faltering", both of which she was doing. She tried to wipe the sweat from her eyes, but her hands and sleeves were so wet she did little more than smear the sweat over her face. She looked down at her hands as she completed her action and saw that her fingers were pale and puckered from being wet for so long; and she decided that something had to be done.

Botan hurried over to the rock she had placed her bag down on – or at least, she hurried as best she could in a sticky outfit and over uneven boggy landscape – and she quickly recovered her case of spirit world items. After several seconds of clumsy fumbling with sweaty and pruned fingers, she opened the case and smiled in relief when she saw it packed with not only spirit world special items but also a few other useful items that were neither special nor specific to spirit world, including a medium sized pair of scissors and a small emergency sewing kit. After quickly checking that Hiei was still preoccupied sharpening his sword on a stone, Botan shed the silk outer layer of her outfit, pausing just long enough to acknowledge how thick the under layer actually was when she saw it on herself without the decorated silk top layer, and then she knelt down and began cutting up the silk kimono. She felt a little odd about defacing what was the most beautiful garment she had ever owned, but she needed a practical outfit to cope with the heat, and she suspected that the intensity of the heat was actually making her a little giddy, and so she was throwing caution to the wind. The scissors she had were not really designed to cut fabric – they were especially not suited for cutting silk – as the blades were neither long enough nor sharp enough for the task; but Botan was sure that the slightly ragged edges she was creating would easily be hidden when she stitched the hems back onto the finished outfit. Cutting with sweaty hands and having to constantly stop to shake sweat from her eyes was not really helping the task either, but still the ferry girl persisted, and she had soon cut the long-sleeved full-length kimono into a short-sleeved knee-length yukata. When she held up her creation, it looked quite impressive, and she felt quite pleased with herself.

Threading a needle with heat-swollen and sweat-soaked hands was a near-impossible task, but Botan eventually managed it, and she set about sewing up the hems of her new outfit. She completed her task relatively quickly, only stabbing herself eight or nine times with the needle, and never badly enough to draw blood, which she considered to be a success. Another glance at Hiei told her he was still fussing with his sword, and so she quickly hid herself behind a rock and changed into her newly-made yukata. As she stepped out from behind the rock again she took a moment to consider her options regarding how to deal with the fleece lining she had removed, eventually deciding that, since she no longer had her tent or bedding, she could keep the bulky garment and use it as a blanket; though she doubted she would ever be cold enough to need it. Her mind made up, Botan rolled up the bulky material and stuffed it into her bag, closing it over and then turning to check on Hiei.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked her as she found him suddenly standing facing her.

"I was too hot, so I made myself a more climate-appropriate outfit," she replied.

Hiei slowly ran his eyes over her before meeting her eyes again.

"How much longer will it take for you to finish making it?" he asked.

"I am finished, this is it!" she replied, waving a hand at herself. "Why are you asking that?"

Botan looked down at herself, feeling suddenly self-conscious then.

"Is it too short?" she asked. "I don't think it's too short. I've worn shorter skirts or shorts before..."

"The length is the only aspect of that outfit that bothers you?" Hiei asked.

He looked (and sounded) vaguely sarcastic, but Botan could not think why he would be.

"The length doesn't bother me, Hiei," she snootily replied. "Does it bother you?"

"No," he said.

"Then let's move on," she said, summoning her oar and giving him a hard look.

Hiei purposefully turned his head to one side, held his position for a moment and then turned back to her.

"It looks like we'll have company for the remainder of our journey to the salt flats," he said.

Botan, still a little offended at his criticism of her outfit, at first only briefly glanced in the direction he had been looking, not really expecting to see anything of any substance other than perhaps a distant landmark that indicated the direction of their journey from thenceforth: and so when she spotted a gnarly old turtle demon standing less than ten feet from her side she let out a yelp of surprise and leapt back a step.

"How long have you been standing there?" she demanded, pointing the blade of her oar at the new arrival. "Were you spying on me when I was changing my clothes? It's very ungentlemanly to spy on a lady when she's in a state of undress, you know!"

"This is my mother."

"I don't care if he's the divine turtle of – wait, what?"

Botan turned to Hiei, her outrage giving way to confusion and disbelief.

"It's funny Hiei," she said carefully. "Because for a moment there, I could have sworn you said this little old man was your mother."

"That is what I said," Hiei replied.

Botan glanced over at the decrepit turtle demon, standing watching them as though it could not even hear what they were saying, despite the fact that it must be able to.

"Hiei, I don't think you should have eaten those sweet and sour pork sticks," she concluded as she turned her attention back to the fire demon. "I'm not sure they're safe for demon consumption, and they appear to have had an adverse effect on your sanity."

The already unimpressed look Hiei was giving her grew flatter, and Botan started to become irritated.

"You're not listening to me," she said.

"You're not listening to me," he replied. "This is Masa. She's my mother."

"That's an old man turtle demon," Botan pointed out as patiently as she could. "Not a pretty little lady ice maiden."

"You're an idiot."

Botan's jaw dropped, but Hiei turned away from her, ignoring her obvious outrage, and strode towards the turtle demon.

"I had to see it with my own eyes," the turtle demon said in a croaky voice as Hiei stopped in front of it. "I thought I could smell you around here, but I had to see it to believe it."

"Turtles can't smell, they don't even have noses!" Botan protested.

"You should know that things have changed since you left us," the turtle said to Hiei.

"Yes, things have changed," Hiei replied. "I've become infinitely stronger and you've become infinitely weaker."

"That's very funny, Hiei," the turtle said, looking anything but amused. "So while you were off becoming "infinitely stronger" did you sort out any of your other issues?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Hiei grunted.

"You didn't get any better looking and you're barely any taller. Weren't you also impotent?"

"I was a child when you knew me!"

"Still. Isn't that part of what you are? Didn't the witches who birthed you put a curse on you or something?"

"You're remembering it wrong."

"I'm pretty sure I'm not. All emikos are the same, aren't they?"

Botan stopped abruptly, only realising that she had been edging closer to Hiei when he suddenly turned his head and shot her a warning glare.

"I'm not impotent," he said, turning back to the turtle demon.

The turtle demon snorted as though amused by his remark, and Botan saw Hiei's face change in that way it always did when he lost his temper and started doing irrational things.

"If you don't believe me you worthless old hag, why don't you ask my wife?"

Botan felt her eyes widen and the corners of her mouth drop as she stared at Hiei in disbelief at his last statement.

"You found someone to marry you out of pity?" the turtle demon asked. "Oh wait, maybe it's something else: I heard you're Lord Mukuro's new right-hand man."

"I didn't marry Hiei because of his position, I married him because I love him!" Botan snapped.

Hiei and the turtle demon turned to her and, as their eyes landed on her, Botan silently wondered why she had just said what she had. She supposed it was because she felt insulted that someone thought she would only marry another for a shallow reason like wealth or power or influence; which made her all the more confused as to why Hiei looked as though he was insulted by her outburst. She had basically just declared that both her feelings for him and their marriage were not shallow, and yet he looked even more annoyed than he had when the odd turtle demon had called him impotent.

"Now I understand perfectly," the turtle demon said. "She married you because she's insane."

Botan growled in annoyance but the others ignored her reaction, turning from her to continue the conversation between themselves.

"So what brings you and your charmingly eccentric concubine to this part of the world?" the turtle demon asked.

"We were just passing by and I felt nostalgic," Hiei sarcastically replied. "I thought it might amuse my wife to let her watch me throw Takeo around like the piece of trash that he is."

"I'm sure he'll be glad to see you again."

"I know he sent you out here to spy on me. It's so typical of him to send the least subtle and most conspicuous member of his team to carry out espionage on his behalf. Takeo never was especially intelligent."

"I came out here to gather herbs."

"So you won't follow us back to Takeo right now?"

"Following you back to Takeo just became a more rewarding task."

"It will amuse me to watch you attempt to keep pace with us."

Hiei turned to Botan.

"Let's go," he said to her.

"Isn't that a kappa?" she responded, pointing at the turtle demon.

Hiei cast a cursive glance at the creature at his side before giving a small shake of his head.

"Masa is just an ordinary turtle demon," he concluded.

"Right…" Botan said slowly.

"Don't let her presence bother you," Hiei added. "Her only function is as a domestic assistant to Takeo and his bandits. She prepares their meals and cleans their clothes. She's no threat to you."

"Takeo will love you, girl," Masa said as Botan looked over at her again.

Botan subconsciously edged closer to Hiei as wariness overtook her curiosity and anger.

"Let's go," Hiei said again.

Botan nodded, her eyes still on Masa. After a few seconds more, when she was almost sure that the strange old turtle demon would not launch a sneak attack on her, she turned to Hiei again, her eyes at first fixing onto his face. When she saw that he was wearing that strange expression again she tensed; but as she noticed something on the edge of her vision she became distracted, her eyes dropping down to what had caught her attention.

Hiei was holding out his hand towards her, palm down, which at first seemed like an odd gesture. Had he been holding his hand palm up she would have assumed he was offering to take her hand, but as it was, she was not really sure what he meant. Not wishing to offend him – least of all when he was clearly so tense and in the presence of someone from his past that he was apparently non too fond off – she slowly moved her hand nearest him out towards his, in the same position. She lifted her eyes to his to gauge his reaction, seeing his eyes briefly look at her hand before he grabbed her hand into his. He grabbed her hand a little roughly and held onto it a little too tightly for comfort, but Botan forced a smile.

"Stay close to me," he said in a low voice as she took a step closer to him.

She nodded her understanding and together they walked on, Masa following on behind them. As they walked, Botan looked over her shoulder at Masa, taking long enough to consider what it might be like if all the bandits they were travelling towards were like her: and as she turned her head forwards again, Botan thought that perhaps Hiei's instruction to stay close to him might not be so hard to follow.

* * *

Botan was gripping Hiei's hand so tightly she could feel her fingernails biting into his skin, and she was amazed that she had not actually pierced through his skin and drawn blood; though perhaps she had, as she had her other arm reached over and wound around Hiei's elbow, obscuring their joined hands from her line of sight and making it impossible for her to check for any damage she may have caused. Hiei was not making any objections to her clinging onto him, either verbally or physically, and she was silently glad of it, as she was quite terrified and his closeness was the only thing keeping her from slipping into a hysterical fit of panic. It was not that she had never encountered a large number of demons within an enclosed space before – because she had been sitting amongst far more demons during the dark tournament, blatantly cheering for the one team the demons all wanted dead – but she had never encountered quite so many demons who all seemed so distinctly creepy and who had their attention focused solely on her. She could not quite figure out if they were all planning ways to kill her, eat her or torture her, but she was too afraid to consider any option in any detail. The looks she was receiving from the staring eyes around her only seemed all the worse because they were coming from sinister faces squatting around the interior of a very dark, damp, cobweb-infested old temple, illuminated only by a fire that had been lit in the middle of the room they were all gathered in (despite there being a fireplace by one wall) and the flickering light of the flames was creating jagged shadows over already jagged faces. And because the fire had been built in the centre of an indoor room, the smoke from the fire was filling up the room, very little of it escaping out the fireplace, making the atmosphere all the more stifling and visibility all the more restricted.

Hiei however appeared to be unfazed by it all.

Botan wanted to cover her nose and mouth with her hand, but as both her hands were clutching on to Hiei, she did not have that option. She reluctantly stopped walking as Hiei did, and squinted through the dark, smoky air at the face ahead of them, finding herself looking at an especially ugly snake demon.

"Well, well, if it ain't the forgotten child," the snake demon said.

"I had to see you for myself," Hiei flatly replied. "I was sure by now someone would have made your worthless, scaly hide into a belt."

"Still a cheeky little bastard then," the snake demon said.

"Still an ugly bastard then," Hiei replied.

"It's real fun chatting about old times with you Hiei, but let's get to the point: why'd you come back here?"

"I'm looking for information."

"You know that's gonna cost you."

"And you know it's not going to work like that."

"Why would I give you something if you don't give me something in return? That's just bad manners."

"Hn, what can I say, I guess that's just the way I was raised."

"That's really funny. Did you just come here to tell jokes? Because you were raised to know better than to waste my time or yours that way."

Botan pressed herself against Hiei, trying to ignore the strange feeling that the air around her was actually getting thicker and pressing in on her. As she was standing in front of a snake demon – something she found a little ironic, as she had assumed that Hiei had been speaking metaphorically when he had said that the bandits they were visiting were snakes – she had to wonder if the feeling of being squeezed was real, if the monster ahead of her was using some sort of constriction attack that she could not see with her eyes.

"Fine by me," Hiei said. "Nobody hates wasting time with small talk more than I do. You will tell me what I need to know and I'll let you live."

"And if I refuse, do you intend to torture the information out of me?" the snake demon asked.

"Of course," Hiei replied.

"And while you're torturing me, what do you think my men are gonna be doing to your little friend?"

Botan gasped as the snake's slitted pupils focused onto her face.

"The way I remember it, you like a slow kill, Hiei," the snake continued. "That suits everybody else here, cause you know how they all are: when there's fresh meat to be had, they all want a piece of it."

Botan yelped involuntarily as she felt something blowing on the back of her neck, and she suddenly wished that she had not cut up her outfit, because, despite the air being even hotter in the temple than it had been outside, the prospect of being wrapped up in thick layers of impenetrable clothing right then was suddenly highly desirable.

"We shouldn't have come here," she admitted. "This was a mistake. I'm sorry, Hiei. Let's just go."

Botan held her breath as the snake demon stood up from the ornate armchair he had been sitting on.

"Do you really think we'll let you walk back out of here just like that?" he asked.

"If you move even one step closer to me, I'll kill everybody in here," Hiei replied.

"I can think of two good reasons why you won't do that," the snake replied. "First of all, if you use one of your trademark over the top attacks, you'll kill the girl along with the rest of us. And second of all, I know the only weapon you've got capable of killing us all is locked up in that arm your friend is hanging onto: she's gonna have to let go before you can do anything, and the second she lets go, she becomes the property of my men."

Botan froze, the idea that something genuinely terrible might befall her occurring to her. She had never felt at any great risk in demon world – not even when she had been facing down the dog demons in Inugoya or even when confronted by the wrath of the ice maidens – but she suddenly felt incredibly weak, incredibly vulnerable and incredibly stupid.

"It's true that I could kill you all with the weapon I keep in my right arm," Hiei said. "But like you already said Takeo, I prefer a slow kill."

Hiei reached his free hand down to his sword, drawing it out and holding it up across his chest. Botan had just enough time to wonder how he intended to use his sword – with his left hand and with her hanging onto his right arm – to defend himself against any attackers before Takeo picked up a half-empty glass bottle from a low table beside where he had been sitting, took a swig of the contents and then held the bottle out towards Hiei.

"Let's make this interesting," he hissed.

"Fine by me," Hiei replied.

Botan opened her mouth to ask what they meant, but her words dissolved into a scream of terror as Takeo hurled the bottle over the top of her head and it crashed into the fire, extinguishing the flames and plunging the room into total darkness.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Botan sees the colour of Hiei's soul, and it gives her something to really think about. After a heated reunion, Hiei and Takeo talk shop, and it turns out Takeo knows more than Hiei expected him too, including the name of Inuyusha's lover from the ice village. And, over dinner, Hiei tells Takeo why he loves Botan so much. **Chapter 17 – Red Light**

 **A/N:** Masa because I'm still watching too much Shin Chan (Masao), and because it's a widely unisex name (like English language names Ashley, Brook, Brandon, Ryan, etc.).

And this time the preview of the next chapter is in no way sarcastic, because Hiei is actually starting to have feelings for Botan, and they will be growing stronger during this step of the adventure and the next.


	17. Red Light

**Chapter 17 – Red Light**

The first time she saw a flicker of something in the darkness, Botan thought that it was just the embers of the fire that had been burning in the middle of the room. It seemed logical, after all, that a flash of red light in the dark would be caused by a fleeting vision of the angry, dying embers of what had been a sizeable campfire. When she saw it a second time, it looked much closer and more clearly defined: the previous glimpse had come through the smoke still thick in the air around her, and its form had been blurred, but there was no mistaking the arcing shape the second flash took. When she saw a third linear blast of red light, Botan realised what it was that she was seeing.

It was the whole reason she was in the ridiculous dire situation that she was.

It was the red light.

Every time one of the bandits powered up or launched an attack driven by their demon energy, flashes of light were streaking through the fog of smoke, and every flash was red. Every soul in the room was – by spirit world's best definition at least – evil.

Botan staggered back a step as Hiei moved at her side. He was fending off attacks with his one free hand and sword alone, though her hold on his arm had loosened slightly, her mind wandering from reality into a trance-like state as she watched the flashes of red around her. She could not tell if they looked brighter because of the darkness or because, with her sight temporarily robbed from her, her other senses were heightened, making it easier for her to see and track them. They were all the same arterial shade of red – not that she expected them to look any different – and they were coming from every direction around her. When she saw an especially bright blast of red light that, although brief, was large enough and bright enough to briefly illuminate the area immediately around her, showing her a foggy snapshot of rabid demons with wild eyes, Botan felt the need to confirm what she was seeing. It was not that she did not believe what she had been taught in spirit world, it was more that she could not bring herself to accept that it was quite so straightforward as the textbooks and scholars of spirit world always implied that it was.

She slid her right hand from its position clutching onto Hiei's dominant arm, bringing it around to rest in the air, palm up, almost directly in front of her face. With a little effort she concentrated her own spirit energy into the centre of her palm, feeling strangely disappointed when the resulting effect was exactly the one she had been expecting: her hand became visible to her eyes, illuminated by wisps of blue light. The light was blue because that was the colour of her soul. Her soul was blue because she was good. It was just like what those dusty old textbooks and even dustier old scholars of spirit world had always declared it would be. The light was the same colour as the very top of a clear sky in the living world on a summer's day. It was pure blue, with no hint of purple.

And the red lights around her were pure red with no hint of purple.

Of course, the purple light was not a definite phenomenon, it was merely the theory Koenma had proposed when he had assigned her the mission that he had. There was only minimal proof that a red or blue soul could change hue, but no definite proof that either extreme could move towards the other.

Not even from Hiei.

Botan relaxed, the blue light vanishing, and let her hand fall to her side. She turned her head fully towards Hiei, watching as his every move created flickers and flashes of light as red as the irises of his eyes. Of course, there was no proof that red meant bad and blue meant good. There were books on the matter, there were scholars who lectured on the subject and there were thousands of years of historical examples of great evil being performed by red souls and selfless kindness being enacted by blue souls, and the colour coding system was the primary means of first point judgement used within spirit world itself, but none of that actually meant that Hiei's red soul made him evil. It was painfully obvious that the red light of Hiei's soul was the exact same shade as every other in the room – except for Botan's blue soul – but there was no proof that the hue of blue or red a soul was indicated how good or evil it was. There were books on the matter, there were scholars who lectured on the subject and there were thousands of years of historical examples of the very worst of evils being performed by souls of a bolder shade of red and minor petty acts of cruelty being enacted by souls of a weaker shade of red, and the hue of red or blue a souls was did form the basis of the second point judgement used within spirit world itself, but none of that actually meant that Hiei's bold red soul made him the very worst kind of evil.

As Botan lost her footing and fell to the ground, her shoulder jarring painfully as Hiei was still tightly holding onto her hand, any pain of the impact quickly forgotten as adrenaline kicked in and the fear of being snatched away by one of the bandits took over, she began to think that maybe the little social experiment Koenma had ordered her to encourage had not been done out of malice. Maybe the matter of red souls and blue souls and what they actually meant and how they could be changed was a subject matter worth investigating.

But not at the expense of a friend and only because what was in the books, what the scholars all lectured and the methods of judgement spirit world were using were clearly flawed.

When she heard the sound of wood cracking, Botan instinctively summoned her oar into her free hand, the idea that the floor was about to give way occurring to her. She sat onto the oar as best she could and, with her hand still in Hiei's, she tried to drag him to join her. Of course she knew that, unless he wanted to be dragged, her efforts would be in vain, but she persevered regardless, yelping in surprise when, after several second of resisting her, he suddenly appeared on her oar, at her side. As she felt his weight catch on the oar, a wall of the temple collapsed into a pile of dusty rubble and the previously pitch dark room became illuminated by the daylight from outside: though thanks to the smoke and dust, there was still little to actually be seen. She opened her mouth and drew in a breath to ask Hiei what they should do, but in doing so, she deeply inhaled a mouthful of smoke and grit that left her choking. As she tried to recover her breath she felt Hiei release her hand and his weight leave her oar, and by the time she had blinked away the inadvertent tears that were blurring her eyes, she had lost sight of Hiei amidst the foggy, dusty air.

Botan turned on the spot in the air, but she found that she could only make out one figure through the chaos, and, out of sheer desperation, she flew towards it.

"Any port in a storm, right girl?"

Botan tried to answer the voice that greeted her arrival, but all she managed was a high-pitched wheeze.

"Follow me, you should be safe over here."

Botan was not really sure that following one of the bandits away from Hiei was a safe thing to do, but as Hiei had said that Masa the turtle demon was both weak and a non-fighter, she thought it was a safer option than hovering aimlessly amidst a battle scene hoping not to be caught in the cross-fire. She rose up above the worse of the debris and to where the smoke had mostly dissipated before looking down and locating the old turtle demon – who she still maintained did look remarkably like a kappa – and following the direction she was taking. As she flew, Botan frequently glanced back over her shoulder, hoping to catch a glimpse of Hiei. She was usually very good at picking out images from the air, even through clouds, but between the still dissipating smoke and the still settling dust, the conditions were simply too murky to see anything other than flashes and shadows. Eventually she gave up looking, instead taking herself back down as she cleared the muggy air, landing as Masa stopped walking and sat down onto a boulder of convenient height to be used as a seat.

"That was awful," Botan complained as she banished her oar.

"Why don't you sit down here with me?" Masa offered, holding out a webbed hand towards the space at her side atop the rock.

"Why thank you," Botan said, managing a smile as she accepted the offer.

"They'll probably be a while, they have a lot of catching up to do," Masa said.

"You make it sound as though they are having a friendly chat and not a bloody massacre," Botan flatly replied.

"You're not from around here, are you girl?"

Botan slowly narrowed her eyes at Masa as Masa slowly ran her beady little orange eyes over Botan.

"So you raised Hiei?" Botan asked her.

"He was an ungrateful child," she replied. "He's an ungrateful adult."

"Well it doesn't seem like you gave him much to be grateful for," Botan pointed out. "Didn't you and Takeo cast him out of your group? Also, what sort of mother expects her children to be grateful to her for being their mother? That's not what motherhood is about: it's a selfless endeavour."

"And clearly you've never had children of your own," Masa said. "Oh wait, of course you haven't. Your husband's impotent."

"He's not impotent, stop saying that!" Botan snapped.

"It's nothing for you to be ashamed of."

"I'm not ashamed of Hiei, I'm proud of him!"

"Of course you are."

"I'm not being sarcastic!"

"Neither am I. He's an S-class demon, he lives in Lord Mukuro's temple, he's Lord Mukuro's second in command and he's the leader of the border patrol."

"That's right! He's strong, he's successful and wealthy and he has influence and oh my goodness, I've turned into a cynical romance-hater."

Botan scrunched up her face in frustration, peering out towards the clouds in the distance to see if she could spot Hiei yet.

"Not exactly a typical wife for an S-class emiko, are you girl?"

Botan turned back to look at Masa.

"Not exactly a typical housewife, are you kappa?" she shot back. "What sort of meals were you cooking or socks were you darning with those webbed fingers of yours?"

"I never said I darned socks, girl," Masa replied. "Though I'm pretty sure I'm a better seamstress than the blind idiot who put together that outfit you're wearing."

"I put together this outfit I'm wearing!" Botan cried.

"Well clearly Hiei didn't marry you for your skills with a needle and thread."

"You don't know anything about my marriage to Hiei!"

"Not like you'd have any use for the skill."

"What?"

"It's not like you'll ever need to be a good seamstress. Your rich enough that you don't need to sew anything yourself."

"I didn't marry Hiei for his money!"

"Well you didn't marry him for his charm, good looks or ability to give you children, did you?"

"You don't know what you're talking about you genderless sack of crap!"

Botan was a little surprised to have heard herself say what she just had, but she lost none of her ire as she waited for Masa to respond.

"Come on Botan, we're having dinner."

Upon hearing Hiei's voice, Botan instinctively turned her head; but it was not until her eyes landed on him that she realised both the absurdity of what he had just said and that the fighting had stopped.

"What?" she said faintly.

"We're having dinner," he repeated, slashing his sword through the air at his side, spraying blood across the dusty ground. "Let's go."

Botan glanced at Masa before slowly rising to her feet, her eyes then wandering over to the body-strewn debris beyond Hiei. There was little left standing of either the temple or the bandits, and so she wondered where Hiei thought they would be dining.

"Fetch your crock-pot, I'm hungry," Hiei added, glaring at Masa.

"Somehow I don't think she'll want to cook for us," Botan said sarcastically.

"It's what she does," Hiei flatly replied.

"You just destroyed her home and killed most of her friends," Botan pointed out. "Also I don't think she likes me very much."

"Mothers always hate the women their son's marry. That's something that seems to be universally true."

Botan felt that she was losing her grip on reality. She glanced at Masa again, this time to confirm that the turtle demon was not about to move, before moving over to stand directly in front of Hiei.

"But she's not really your mother," she whispered.

"And we're not really married," he whispered back.

"I would still like to have her approval anyway."

"You just said you don't consider her to be my mother."

"But clearly you do – in a sense – so that means her opinion matters to you and therefore it matters to me."

"I don't care about her opinion. I wouldn't care even if she were my mother, because she's an idiot who's never understood what's best for me."

"But if we're going to have dinner with her, we should still try to be polite about it. In a sense, she is still family to us."

"You're placing too much importance on it."

"You're being too frivolous about it."

"You're a fine one to talk about frivolity."

"What's that supposed to mean? Don't take that tone with me! You're embarrassing me in front of your sort-of mother!"

"You're the one who chose to dress in that butchered outfit to meet her."

"Are you saying you're embarrassed of me?"

"I'm saying I'm embarrassed for you."

"You know this isn't normally how I dress! I have a very snappy sense of style, it's one of the reasons why I caught your eye, remember?"

"…What?"

"…I don't… What?"

Hiei pulled a face of genuine confusion and Botan felt herself mirroring it.

"I was actually annoyed during that discussion, but I don't really understand why," she admitted.

"Yes, well, snap out of it," Hiei muttered back, looking vaguely embarrassed and sounding less authoritative than his words were trying to make him seem.

"Right," she said with a nod of her head.

A short, awkward silence passed between them before Hiei slid his sword back into its scabbard and then he messily wiped his blood and sweat soaked hands on his pants before holding one out – palm down again – towards Botan expectantly. She again looked over at the desecrated remains of the temple and the stumbling remains of the bandits before lifting one hand and moving her eyes back to Hiei. He frowned slightly when her hand passed high over his, but strangely he neither looked surprised nor did he complain when she put her arm around him, gripping his shoulder farthest from her a little tighter than she had meant to. With a look of uncharacteristic agreeability, Hiei slid his arm around Botan's waist and together they started walking towards the disastrous scene their arrival had created.

* * *

Hiei shot out a hand to catch the jug Takeo had been about to pour into Botan's wooden mug. The ferry girl – being the naïve creature that she was – had responded to his offer by lifting up her mug, her face devoid of any suspicion or concern.

"What is that?" Hiei asked, narrowing his eyes at the dishevelled snake demon.

"Rum," Takeo replied.

It was unlike Takeo to honestly answer a direct question straight away, but he was apparently still humbled after having half of his men slaughtered and the remainder wounded and incapacitated, as he was still shaking slightly and hints of fear were showing in his usually arrogant yellow eyes.

"I've never tried rum before," Botan cheerfully commented.

"Now's not the time to start," Hiei warned her, pushing away Takeo's offer.

"I'm sure I'd manage a small amount," she muttered.

Hiei sat back down and turned his head fully towards Botan, glaring at her in a way he hoped would convey how absurd he thought her words were.

"I can handle my drink," she hissed. "Don't listen to Ryuhi and that story she tells about me at Koenma's birthday party, she doesn't know what she's talking about. I remember at the annual SDF celebration she was dancing on a table with a lampshade on her head – why didn't I remember that when she was miscalling me in front of Captain Ootake?"

"I never said you couldn't handle your drink, but drink in demon world is unlike any you've ever tasted," Hiei corrected her.

She pouted slightly and leaned closer to him.

"I promise I won't embarrass you," she whispered.

He pursed him lips and leaned closer to her.

"Just drink the water you collected in the flasks," he whispered back.

She seemed to accept his words, but her jaw dropped and her eyebrows twisted as she watched him hold up his own wooden mug, which Takeo filled to the brim.

"I'm accustomed to it," he reminded her.

"Still doesn't seem fair," she sulkily replied, before turning from him and poking a finger at a pile of steamed vegetables on her plate. "I don't even know what this is… Looks like boiled eyeballs."

Hiei sighed and took a drink from his mug, welcoming the burn in his throat.

"So what do you need to know?" Takeo asked, placing the jug down onto the table harder than seemed necessary and causing the ferry girl to squeak and flinch in alarm.

Hiei glanced around the banquet table – which was in a room of the temple that had only lost one wall and two chairs during the earlier fracas – taking long enough to notice the way the remaining bandits were all pretending to be so interested in their own meals that they could not hear what was being said. Masa was still pottering around the table, doling out ladle-loads of food onto plates and being unsympathetic towards the wounded; which was her typical mode of behaviour as Hiei recalled.

"I've recently heard a story about how I came to be a part of your group," Hiei said as he turned his attention back to Takeo.

"That's nice," Takeo said, sitting down opposite Hiei. "I like a good story."

"It's not how I remember it," Hiei replied, ignoring Takeo's insolence. "I just need to know if there's any truth to the story."

"We took you because we wanted your hiruiseki," Takeo said. "You never did let us take it off you though."

"That's despicable," Botan muttered, before poking an overcooked tomato into her mouth and chewing on it unenthusiastically.

"Yes, I know you wanted to take my hiruiseki," Hiei continued. "But I remember that you found me where I landed after I fell from the ice village."

"That's right," Takeo said. "We found you underneath the dark cloud in the sky where the ice village is supposed to be."

"And I was alone?"

"Yeah."

"There was no-one else around?"

"Only the guy who sold you to us."

Botan dropped her fork with a clatter against her plate, but Hiei ignored her outraged face, staring on from his side at the table.

"Kuro?" he asked, keeping his eyes on Takeo.

"I dunno," Takeo said with a shrug. "He was one of the tsuchigumo of Doro. He said you were the forgotten child from the ice village, which didn't sound all that interesting a deal to me, but then I saw the stone you had I changed my mind. That thing was worth more than the place the guy wanted to trade you for."

"I don't remember that part," Hiei admitted.

"Probably not," Masa interrupted. "You were asleep."

Hiei groaned.

"You woke up the second I touched your damn hirui stone though," Takeo added.

"You were an ugly baby," Masa said.

"You're an ugly old woman!" Botan snapped at her.

"Are you saying you didn't know the man who sold me to you?" Hiei asked Takeo.

"Wait a second!" Botan yelped, throwing her hands across the table to interrupt the discussion. "Aren't there more important questions to ask? Like why would anyone just trade property for a baby for the sole purpose of stealing from the baby! And what sort of man would hand over a baby to such people? And why wouldn't such people suspect that someone was selling a baby to people such as they who only wanted said baby for its jewelled accessories? And why–"

"Stop," Hiei said sharply.

She made a small growling noise as though displeased with his order, but she did sit back and resume eating her meal; albeit it with an air of resentment.

"He was one of the tsuchigumo," Takeo said as Hiei turned to him again. "What do you want me to say? They all look alike. Kinda like all you forgotten kids."

"Hiei is not a forgotten child, he is a forbidden child!" Botan yelled, standing up abruptly.

"You're splitting hairs, sweetheart," Takeo said to her dismissively.

"Sit down," Hiei said, waving a hand at Botan.

She growled again, but again she did as he asked.

"Like I was saying, he looked like every other damn tsuchigumo," Takeo said.

"So racist…" Botan muttered.

"What even are you, lady?" Takeo asked, turning fully towards her. "Cause you're as fresh as a damn daisy."

"She's my wife and that's all you need to know about her. Now leave her alone," Hiei warned.

"Funny sort of wife," Takeo muttered.

"Hiei's a funny sort of guy," Masa commented.

"She might as well be a cultivated human," Takeo muttered.

"I'll turn you into pulp and feed you to a field of cultivated humans if you don't stop!" Hiei snapped.

"It just seems weird that you'd marry such a girl," Takeo said defensively. "I get that after we left you, you were penniless and had no title or rank of any kind, and then you went and got that operation that left you with all the strength of – well, frankly it left you with all the strength of a cultivated human – that after all of that, no woman was gonna come anywhere near you. Also the whole impotence thing can't have helped–"

"Hiei is not impotent!" Botan yelled, standing up dramatically again.

"Well, I guess you would know," Takeo said, eying her over.

Her face turned red and she slowly and quietly sank back down into her seat.

"But you've come a long way, Hiei," Takeo continued, turning back to Hiei as he spoke. "You've got it all now – power, wealth, influence – and, according to your old lady, you've even got over your little problem downstairs – so I gotta wonder why you married an E-class, penniless nobody when you could have taken Lord Mukuro as your wife?"

Hiei heard a splat at his side as soggy boiled vegetables fell from Botan's fork, her body frozen midway through bringing the food to her open mouth.

"Oh wait, I get it," Takeo said, nodding his head. "You took her back when you were a lower D-class penniless loner bandit and you thought you couldn't get any better right?"

"Oh, because they kicked you out and because of the operation for the jagan…" Botan whispered, her hand quietly replacing her fork to the table.

"You could kill her and trade up to a better wife now though, right?" Takeo asked.

"You're treading a very thin line, Takeo," Hiei warned.

"You can't be in love with her," Takeo flatly replied. "You're not able to love."

"You have no concept of the depth or intensity of feelings I have for my wife."

Botan made a small noise at his side and when he turned to her she looked slightly irked by his words.

"So you didn't just marry me for my "assets" then?" she asked sarcastically.

"I married you because of your sense of loyalty," Hiei barked back.

Her unimpressed, sulky pout eased back, and as her eyes widened and her eyebrows lifted, he only felt all the more compelled to continue.

"I married you because you understand the importance of not just accepting something that looks flashy," he said. "You ask questions, you think about things, you listen and you consider what you've heard before you open your mouth again. You're reckless sometimes, but when you are it excites me. You're fearless: but not because you don't feel fear, but because you do feel it, and despite all that, you push on anyway. Sometimes you say the most absurd things, and it would be easy to pass you off as naïve, but beneath every ditzy remark you make is an intelligent means to learn something, and I don't know if that's something you do consciously or not, but either way it always captures my interest. I think I know you – I really do – but you continue to surprise me."

"Hiei…" she said faintly.

"I didn't just marry you for your body!"

"Okay…"

"Though it has been a nice perk."

"Wait, what?"

Hiei turned his attention back to Takeo, silently hoping that the ferry girl was smart enough to see through his speech and understand it for what it was: his way of acknowledging that he did appreciate what she had done for him lately.

"Now tell me everything you know about Kuro," he said. "And if you, or anyone one else here, so much as looks at my wife ever again, I'll kill you all by the slowest and most painful method your tiny minds couldn't even conceive of. Is that clear?"

"I dunno," Takeo dully replied. "My tiny mind can't conceive of what you're saying."

Hiei stood up abruptly, letting his anger escape his body in a swirling, crackling mass of demon energy that sent some of the bandits fleeing and the others cowering for cover.

"Fine, fine!" Takeo conceded. "But you better sit back down and finish your food first. You're not gonna like how this goes."

* * *

Botan watched the dark energy dissipate, feeling the prickling in her skin it had evoked easing off. Hiei slowly sat back down, his eyes never leaving Takeo. Masa began moving around the table again and Hiei and Takeo continued eating their meals in silence: but Botan sat, turned in her seat towards Hiei, her mouth slightly open, her eyes wide and her eyebrows raised, watching him in stunned disbelief. It was quite a rare thing that anybody complimented her, and even just the occasional "nice work" from Koenma was always a welcome appraisal, and so to be on the receiving end of such a personal and lengthy compliment was almost too much for her to handle.

Especially as it had come from Hiei, who never said anything positive about anyone. Ever.

"Sometimes I felt like I was your father," Takeo said.

"I never felt that way," Hiei flatly replied.

"But you thought the kappa was your mother?" Takeo asked, waving a hand at Masa.

"She did things for me," Hiei said.

"I taught you how to use a sword."

"As I recall, I stole a sword during a raid, and any skill I learned was from using it to defend myself against you when you tried to steal from me."

"It's called "real-life simulation training". I pretend to be an attacker trying to mug you, and you defend yourself."

"Is that also why you abandoned me when I got too strong for you to comfortably control?"

"Every good father knows there comes a time when you gotta send your kids out into the world to learn how to live for themselves."

"I didn't come here to share humorous anecdotes about your paternal abilities – or lack thereof – I came here for answers."

Takeo seemed to be deliberately stalling – even Botan could tell that much, and she was barely paying any attention to him, her mind still replaying Hiei's highly flattering words from earlier – but curiosity was starting to draw her attention back towards the snake demon, who was suddenly fidgeting with his fork and looking quite nervous.

"I don't know how Kuro ended up getting his hands on you, Hiei," he eventually admitted. "Sometimes we saw a group of women from your village going to Doro. I guess maybe Kuro knew one of them would have a baby and that you'd be thrown out and you might be carrying that gemstone you got there."

Takeo made only the slightest gesture of his hand in Hiei's direction, yet both Hiei and Botan turned their attention abruptly to the hiruiseki around Hiei's neck, which had somehow fallen over the top of his shirt – perhaps during the earlier scuffle, Botan thought. Looking at it, Botan knew that it was Yukina's stone and not Hiei's: but of course Takeo would not know as much. Hiei clutched a hand around the stone and slowly moved it back underneath his shirt out of sight. He looked exceptionally uncomfortable, but Botan could not really think why. Even if Takeo was still secretly plotting to try to steal it, it was already plainly obvious that he lacked the manpower and subtlety to even attempt it.

"Tell me more about the group of ice maidens you saw," Hiei said, moving his eyes back to Takeo.

"They were short, pale, quiet and cold," Takeo replied. "Nothing really much else to say."

"How many times did you see them?" Hiei pressed.

"I dunno," Takeo replied with a shrug. "Maybe six or seven times in fifty years."

"Fifty years?" Botan blurted involuntarily. "That's a long time!"

"Yeah, and I only saw them on six or seven occasions during that long time," Takeo replied, his tone bordering on sarcastic. "So not that often."

"And you never attempted to rob or abduct any of them, knowing that they could make hirui stones?" Hiei asked.

Takeo sat back in his seat, tilting his head to one side.

"So that's it?" he asked. "You came all the way back here, destroyed the temple that me and my men worked damn hard to steal, killed half my men and pissed off the other half just to ask me why I didn't steal from your frigid aunts and cousins?"

"You've never hesitated to take anything of value from anyone before," Hiei calmly pointed out. "The fact that you and your gang are squatting in this temple is proof alone that you will take extreme risks and go up against insurmountable odds to take something you consider worth the effort. Surely a group of young girls who could have made you rich for the rest of your life without any real effort on your part was something you pursued – especially when the opportunity practically walked right up to you and offered itself to you."

Takeo sat forwards again, placing an elbow on the table and leaning over towards Hiei.

"Funny you should talk about the girls walking right up and offering themselves to me, because that's exactly why I never went near them," he said in a low voice. "One of them walked right up to the leader of a tribe of demons and offered herself to him, and he set his people on anybody who went anywhere near those girls. Nobody was dumb enough to fight that."

"Hn, let me guess: you're talking about Inuyusha and the dog demon tribe?" Hiei responded with a humourless smirk.

"Yeah, that's right," Takeo agreed. "Inuyusha's a powerful guy. His tribe aren't much of a threat one-on-one, but it's never one-on-one with the dog demons: they fight in packs, just like the dogs they are. And do you have any idea how many of them there are?"

"Hundreds!" Botan blurted out.

"Exactly," Takeo said. "The story goes Inuyusha took a liking to one of the girls. She didn't like him at first, but he went after her until she did."

"Do you know who she was?" Botan asked, leaning forwards, suddenly feeling optimistic again.

"The girl Inuyusha went chasing after?" Takeo asked.

"Of course!" Botan said, slamming a fist against the table surface impatiently.

Takeo slowly straightened up and then slowly sat back in his chair, his eyes moving back and forth between Hiei and Botan.

"Why don't you ask Inuyusha himself?" he asked.

"Because if you know the answer, we don't have to waste our time doing that," Hiei replied.

Botan nodded, silently impressed by Hiei's response and secretly glad that he had uttered it as promptly as he had, as she had been about to tell Takeo that they had already tried asking Inuyusha about his ice maiden lover and had no success in getting an accurate answer.

"Sure, I know which one she was," Takeo agreed. "She was the leader of that little group. She was as quiet and dull as the rest of them, but she was prettier than the rest of them."

"What did she look like?" Botan asked.

"She looked like an ice maiden," Takeo replied. "Short, pale, quiet and cold."

"Be more specific!" Botan demanded.

"Fine. She had greenish, bluish hair and red eyes."

Botan felt something drop inside of her, and she wondered if her heart was literally sinking upon hearing Takeo's reply.

"What was her name?" Hiei asked quietly.

"I'm struggling to remember over here…" Takeo said.

"I can find the answer myself if it's in your head somewhere," Hiei replied, his voice still as quiet as before. "But the thing about using my jagan eye for such an invasive search is that I might accidentally uncover some repressed memories you didn't want bringing out. I might also leave you mentally scarred and suffering violent hallucinations and panic attacks for the rest of your miserable little life."

Takeo – despite already being a pale green colour – turned visibly paler.

"Or you could just tell me and save us both a lot of bother," Hiei added.

"You haven't changed," Takeo said quietly. "You were a hard bastard from the day I found you."

"From the day you bought me, you mean," Hiei corrected him.

"Right," Takeo growled. "Some investment you turned out to be…"

"Just answer him!" Botan snapped irritably.

"Inuyusha's girl was called Hina."

Botan sat back so hard in her chair that she was thankful the chair had a backrest, as otherwise she would surely have landed on the floor.

"Hina?" Hiei repeated. "Are you sure about that?"

"Would I lie to you, Hiei?"

Both Hiei and Botan gave Takeo flat looks and he sighed as though begrudgingly accepting their response.

"I've told you what I know," he said. "I don't know any more. Why are you asking? Did you think Hina and Inuyusha were your parents? Because that's impossible. Hina hooked up with Inuyusha and stopped passing by this way a long time before you were born."

Hiei stood up abruptly and Takeo instinctively sat back, watching him warily. However Hiei's action was not the start of a threat of physical violence: instead he left the table and moved over to where Masa was throwing vegetable peelings out a hole in the wall.

"My wife and I will be staying here tonight," he said to her. "Prepare a bed for us."

Botan scrambled out of her seat and started towards Hiei as he began to leave the dining room.

"I'm going to the bathroom," he called back over his shoulder to her.

She stumbled to a halt, deciding that she had to let him go alone in that case. After a glance at Masa and the other still disgruntled bandits, Botan reluctantly returned to her seat at the table, diagonally across from where Takeo was still sitting.

"So you married Hiei, huh?" he asked her as she sat down.

"Yes I did," she replied.

It was getting strangely easier to continue the lie with every passing day and every new stop on the journey.

"That must be fun for you," he said.

"I'm very happy," Botan replied, her lip curling in disgust as she looked Takeo directly in the eye.

"So he's really over his little emiko performance problem?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Fair enough. I'm sure he's a real Casanova. You're a lucky girl."

"Yes I am."

"No seriously, you are lucky. Even I wouldn't marry a girl as weak as you."

"Thanks so much. With charm and tact like that, I can see why you're such a success with the ladies."

"I'm not good with the ladies because of charm and tact. I'm good with the ladies because I can do this."

Botan yelped and recoiled in horror as a long, serpentine tongue unfurled from Takeo's mouth, stretching down to halfway down his chest.

"That's the most disgusting thing I've ever seen," she moaned.

"If that's true, you're definitely new around here…" Takeo muttered.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** As Hiei and Botan prepare to spend a night in the temple with the bandits, Hiei has a confession to make to Botan about his real reasons for continuing with their quest. The morning after, Botan awakens to find Hiei has a gift for her, but when she doesn't react the way he expected her to, they find themselves arguing about the details of their wedding. **Chapter 18 – Question of Genetics**


	18. Question of Genetics

**A/N:** Slightly long chapter warning. Which is odd, because there isn't much action in this one – though this one does really push the story towards its inevitable, twisted conclusion.

* * *

 **Chapter 18 – Question of Genetics**

Botan only realised that she was hugging herself and looking about the room with an expression of fear and disgust when she caught Hiei staring at her. At first she did nothing to change her stance or her expression, as she felt that both were fitting for the situation and environment she was in: but, as she looked at Hiei, the thought occurred to her that the group of bandits she was with now were the same group of bandits who had raised him, and they were not only effectively his adoptive family, but their living conditions were the same living conditions Hiei had spent the first part of his life in. Focusing on that fact, she quickly smoothed out her brow and forced a tight smile: though she could not stop hugging herself protectively.

"It's very..." she began, looking about the room with her false smile still in place. "It's um... And the ceilings are just… And everyone is so…"

"It was once a place of great magnificence," Hiei said. "But then Takeo took it over and turned it into the hovel you now see around you."

"Well, it's…" Botan tried.

"I did them a favour breaking down some walls," Hiei grumbled. "At least it will let some of the stench out."

"Maybe the temple was in ruin when they found it," Botan said meekly.

Hiei shook his head.

"Has-has it always been like this?" she asked.

"Has Takeo always been turning monuments of historical excellence into literal piles of excrement?" he asked.

"That wasn't quite the question I was asking…"

"Don't bother trying to be diplomatic. He ruins everything he touches. The proof of that is right in front of you."

Botan opened her mouth to try yet again to put a pleasant spin on the dismal condition of the temple Takeo and his bandits had taken over, but words failed her when she saw that Hiei had that odd look on his face again.

"Oh…" she said instead. "But… I didn't mean it like that."

Hiei turned his head slightly and Botan used the opportunity to bite at her lip and let her eyes widen in an expression of her panic and despair: she had never intended to insult Hiei. It was of course true that the environment they were in was the one he had been reared in, but that in no way meant that he was a product of it in the same way Takeo, or Masa or any of the other bandits were.

"You know, nobody has to be defined by the origins of their life," she tried. "Whether you're talking about genetics – nature – or their upbringing – nurture – because everybody is individual and anyone can change."

"Like Inukasai," Hiei muttered.

"Inukasai should be defined by his origins and upbringing because he is a no good dirty dog!" Botan snapped.

To her surprise, Hiei actually smiled at her response. It was not by any means a brilliant gesture, just a close-lipped, slight expression, only really noticeable as a smile because his eyes looked a little brighter.

"It's better that you're angry," he said.

"…Better than what?" she asked, feeling suddenly confused and slightly concerned as to why he was smiling.

"In my experience, anger is an energy, and a useful one at that," he replied, pushing at the sliding door.

The door was already closed, but he seemed unconvinced, as he pressed it more firmly into place several times before eventually stepping back from it.

"We will stay here tonight and we can get a free breakfast from the old hag in the morning," he said. "After that, I think you know what we must do next."

Botan sighed. She knew exactly what they must do next, but she had not really given it much thought until that moment. She knew that, after she and Hiei had eaten breakfast the following morning, they would have to make the inevitable journey back to Inugoya to confront Inukasai. They were no further forward with finding any definitive proof of his lies and Botan was dreading how Yukina – and to a lesser extent Kuwabara – would react to the news.

"I understand tomorrow is Wednesday," Hiei continued.

"Yes," Botan replied. "I've always hated Wednesdays."

"The journey will take another day and it won't be easy."

"A day? Only a day? I thought it would take much longer than that."

Hiei shook his head.

"It feels like we've come so far," Botan said. "Though maybe we've been moving in a circle, and we're already on our way back…"

"I didn't have too many qualms about taking you to Inugoya."

Botan, who had been looking up at the ceiling deep in thought, trying to calculate flight times and figure out coordinates within demon world, slowly lowered her eyes to Hiei, her mind refocusing on his words, which repeated inside her head. As her eyes landed on his, he held her gaze for only a brief moment before turning away and pacing towards the window of the room they were in.

"And my main concerns about visiting the ice village with you were related to my own reluctance to return there and a caution about how the women might treat such a… Bright and expressive woman as you."

Botan leaned to one side slightly, watching Hiei's profile as he stopped by the window and looked up at the sky outside, the blue light of the moon illuminating his features.

"Coming here was a little different," he continued. "There were many reasons I didn't want you to come this way with me."

"I'm not afraid of Takeo!" Botan argued.

Hiei turned his head towards her and again he was smiling: though this time it was a lop-sided smirk of vaguely condescending amusement.

"Is that why you were holding my hand so tightly when we first got here?" he asked.

"I was just…" she began. "I thought that… Alright fine! I am a little bit afraid of him, but now that I know you can easily fight him and all his men single-handedly and with your eyes closed – literally – I feel a lot braver."

"Right…"

Hiei turned to look out the window again, his smirk fading.

"I don't have a choice about what I do next," he said. "But you still do."

Botan took a sliding step closer to Hiei.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "If you don't have a choice then neither do I: we're in this together, remember?"

"Except we're not," he replied. "You can leave this and go back to your own life at any time. This is my life now, and from here on, the journey only gets more difficult."

"I don't care," Botan said, folding her arms and turning her nose up in the air stubbornly.

"Inugoya is in no way a typical village of demon world," Hiei said. "And the dog demon tribe are certainly not typical of other tribes in demon world."

"I survived them anyway."

"Other tribes in demon world are far darker, in ways a mind like yours couldn't even imagine."

"I'm not too scared to sleep here tonight, Hiei."

"Doro is a very violent and lawless town, even by demon world standards. And the tsuchigumo are by far the cruellest of all demon tribes."

Botan froze.

"The road to Doro is not a short one," Hiei continued. "But we will not be far down it before our presence is noticed. We won't be welcomed in Doro. And once our presence has been noticed, we won't be able to turn back. You've always had a choice in what you do until now, but this next endeavour is entirely different. This is one journey you must commit to all the way. Do you understand?"

Hiei turned his head just slightly towards Botan upon his question, watching her from the corners of his eyes.

"It was never my intention to leave until we'd fixed this, Hiei!" she replied. "Of course I'm coming with you to Doro or wherever it is that you need to go next!"

"I'm going to Doro to meet with my father," Hiei said.

"Then I'm definitely coming with you," Botan insisted. "Your father is the last person now who can give definitive proof that Hina was never Inuyusha's lover!"

Hiei sighed and turned back to the window.

"Botan…" he said, his voice suddenly very low and hushed. "I haven't been entirely honest with you."

Botan gasped, one hand moving to cover her open mouth.

"And I realise that was wrong of me, given the sacrifices you've made to come this far with me," Hiei added.

"Wh-what do you mean?" she asked. "I-I don't understand."

"I led you to believe that we were doing all of this because I want to disprove that Inukasai is Yukina's brother. But that's not true."

Botan's fear of the bandits and her concern about attempting to sleep in their disgusting and possibly haunted temple vanished.

"I still don't understand," she whispered.

"At first it was about proving him to be a liar," Hiei said.

His voice was still low and quiet and it sounded almost ragged in the stillness of the night.

"But after everything I saw and heard in Inugoya, it started to become about something else," he continued. "I'm surprised you haven't realised that already."

"It's about finding the truth, isn't it?" Botan asked, finding herself keeping her own voice soft and low. "And that has become quite difficult to do, since the facts keep changing with every inkling of progress we make."

"I need to see it for myself," Hiei said. "I've heard of Kuro, but I've never met him. I need to know if it's true."

"You need to know if he's your father?"

"I already know that he's my father."

"You do?"

"Well, not really, but it does make sense. It explains so much. But I need to know. This next journey I'm making isn't about Inukasai any more, it's about me, and because of that, there isn't really a reason for you to continue on with me."

"Going to meet your father for the first time is a pretty big deal, Hiei. Don't you think it would be nice to have a friend there with you? I won't get in the way, but I can be there if you need me."

Botan waited for Hiei to argue the point with her – just as he had done when she had suggested going to Inugoya, or to the ice village, or to meet with Takeo and his bandits – since that was surely what he was about to do.

"Hn, you're so difficult," he said, turning from the window to face her fully, once more wearing his lop-sided smirk, an expression that looked all the more angular with the moonlight illuminating one half of his face, the other half cast into shadow against the darkness of the unlit room. "There's no arguing with you, is there?"

Botan opened her mouth and held up one finger, but words failed her.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Hiei added. "Masa rises early, we should too. We should eat and leave as early as possible, so if you want to get any rest at all, you should go to bed now."

"Okay…" Botan said weakly.

Why was Hiei not arguing with her?

"You take the bed," he added, waving a hand at the quilt on the floor in one corner of the room.

"Where will you sleep?" she asked.

"Over here," he replied, waving a hand in the general direction of the room door. "In case anyone tries anything during the night."

"What if a flying pervert comes in through the window and whisks me away while you're sleeping by the door?"

Botan put her hands on her hips and tried to look defiant, but the sound of heavy footsteps thumping about in the hall beyond the door quickly brought her back down to earth.

"I'll close the curtains," she quietly concluded.

Hiei nodded and sat down by the door with his back resting against the wall. Before going to close the curtains – which would make the already very dark room impossibly dark – Botan returned to a closet in the back corner of the room, opening it up and taking a moment to examine the contents. She was surprised that the clothing within had not already been ransacked and used or sold off by the bandits, but as the clothing within was mostly ladies' night clothing, she supposed it was of little interest to a group comprised almost exclusively of men.

"It's sort of strange that you were raised by this particular group of bandits, Hiei," she commented as she began searching through the clothes hanging in the closet. "Because, well, you were born into a female-only society, and then you were taken into a male-only society."

She pulled down a bath-robe, eying it over thoughtfully before deciding that it was still a better option than sleeping in her own clothes. She turned to Hiei and found him watching her blankly from his position sitting by the door.

"Don't you think so?" she asked. "Don't you think it's strange?"

"It's just a coincidence," he replied.

"But an unusual one, don't you think?"

"Not really."

"I was just thinking that neither extreme is ideal, least of all for raising a child."

"Masa performed all the duties a mother would have."

"Yes, well, she's still not really much of a woman…"

"Are you implying that I'm maladjusted because I didn't have sufficient exposure to women during my formative years?"

Botan stopped short.

"Oh no, I didn't mean that at all!" she hurriedly corrected herself. "I was just thinking out loud – oh Hiei, I'm so sorry – I certainly never meant to insult you."

Hiei slowly rose to his feet and slid open the door.

"Where are you going?" Botan asked, sprinting over to his side fearfully.

"I'm stepping outside to let you change clothes in peace," he replied, nodding at the robe in her hands.

"Oh."

Botan looked down at the robe for a long moment and then back at Hiei.

"How courteous of you," she said quietly.

"Indeed," he said with a sigh, before stepping out of the room. "I learned all my manners from Takeo."

He slid the door shut behind himself and Botan was glad, as his last remark had brought a sneer to her face. She thought that Hiei was probably just being sarcastic, but it was quite a disconcerting prospect to think that a baby had been placed under Takeo's care. Deciding not to make him wait too long, she quickly changed into the robe and then opened the door again, waving at him to come back inside. He silently followed her command and she closed the door behind him again.

"You know Hiei, nobody would think you're anything like Takeo," she said as he moved over to sit back down where he had been before. "Just because you grew up with these people, doesn't make you one of them."

"Like how Inukasai isn't a dog demon?" Hiei asked, his eyes on the floor as he spoke.

Botan knelt down at his side, clutching her fists against her thighs to stop herself from acting on an instinct to reach her hands out and touch him.

"Exactly," she said. "Inukasai isn't one of them."

"He's heavily influenced by them though," Hiei replied, his eyes still on the floor.

"That doesn't mean that you are influenced by Takeo," Botan insisted. "You've grown and moved on from these people. That's why you left them."

"I didn't leave them. They left me."

"You've been so much better off without them, Hiei."

Hiei lifted his head and looked directly at Botan and again she had to fight the urge to touch him. He looked sad, but worse than that, he looked disappointed. She was vaguely concerned that he was disappointed with her for some reason and she wanted to reassure him, but she had no idea how to.

"You really should get some sleep," he eventually said.

She nodded and paused a moment longer before getting to her feet and shuffling across the room to the bed.

"You know, I don't even feel tired," she muttered as she knelt down and peeled back the quilt. "And it's so creepy in here, there's no way I'll sleep tonight."

Hiei said nothing, and, once she had crawled under the bedding, Botan lay down on her back and turned her head towards him, expecting him to say something then; but she found him sitting by the door, his arms resting on his knees bent in front of him and his head tilted slightly downwards, his eyes on a point on the floor by his feet. He looked deep in thought, and she supposed that the prospect of going to meet his father was a daunting one for him, and, also knowing that he typically liked to be left alone when he was mulling over something, she decided not to pry, but rather to leave him be and hope that he managed to sleep for the night.

She closed her eyes, thinking to herself that she could pry more in the morning.

* * *

Botan opened her eyes and gave a small groan as she saw that the room was suddenly flooded with daylight. She could not recall falling asleep and did not really feel as if she had rested, but the window above her had been dark before she had closed her eyes and now it was glowing. She turned her head towards the room door, expecting to find Hiei watching her with a vague air of impatience: but he was no longer by the door as he had been the night before. Botan gasped, feeling suddenly wide awake, and twisted around to look about herself frantically, panic rising when she failed to locate Hiei anywhere within the room. She threw off her covers and scrambled to her feet, darting about the small room twice before stopping abruptly as something caught her eye.

Botan slowly tilted her head to one side as she looked up at the outfit she had removed the night before, hanging on the doorframe. She could not recall hanging it up, but her attention was primarily focused on the outfit itself. She recalled Hiei and Masa both criticising the modifications she had made to it and she thought that she had been less than pleased with her handiwork herself, but the yukata suddenly looked as professionally tailored as the kimono it had once been. The sunlight was shining directly onto the material, which was almost luminescent, but it was not just the fabric that looked improved. Feeling a little wary but mostly curious, Botan reached out her hands and took hold of the hanger, unhooking it from the doorframe and bringing the outfit down to hold it out at arms' length in front of herself. On closer inspection, it was obvious someone else had modified the garment again since Botan's own attempt, as the painstakingly double-stitched hems had been neatly and perfectly performed by a hand far more skilled than her own. Her first thought was to be pleased that she had something that was both practical and pretty to wear: but that feeling faded fast when the thought occurred to her that the only possible way her outfit could have been fixed was by Masa, a web-fingered, squinty eyed old turtle demon, who, despite being slow and inept, was apparently infinitely better with a needle and thread than Botan herself was.

Botan dragged her feet across the room to her bag and began clawing through it, eventually uncovering something she had hoped to find but not expected to: the elusive single pair of panties that Hiei had suggested had been missed during Inuyusha's raid of her underwear. She quickly changed out of the robe she had borrowed and into her own clothes before crossing the room to return the robe to the closet she had taken it from. When she opened the closet door, Botan saw something she had strangely not noticed the night before: there was a full-length mirror mounted on the inside of the door. She took a moment to admire her outfit, smiling to herself as she decided that the delight of having something so pretty to wear did in fact outweigh the embarrassment of learning that her needlework was inferior to that of a creature with webbed fingers: but her joy was short-lived when her eyes lifted slightly and she noticed her hair.

At the sight of the brutally and unevenly chopped mess her hair had been left in, Botan screamed on instinct, barely caring when her response brought Hiei bursting into the room brandishing his sword.

"What is it?" he demanded, his voice sounding a little raspy and edgy.

"My hair!" she wailed.

In the mirror she saw Hiei's reflection looking at the back of her head, his chest heaving and his mouth set into an irritated sneer.

"You were screeching like you were being tortured!" he said, his voice still sounding oddly rough.

"I am being tortured!" Botan cried. "Look at my hair! They didn't even try to cut it off in a nice way, they just hacked it off in the most uneven and unflattering way they possibly could!"

"I thought one of Takeo's men had broken into the room and started actually torturing you," Hiei growled.

"That would be less distressing than this!"

Botan spun around to face him, pointing at her hair.

"You can't be over-reacting to such things like that," he warned, his voice finally back to an even tone.

"Your concern is flattering," she replied sarcastically.

Hiei snarled out a noise of annoyance and roughly resheathed his sword; and only in that moment did Botan realise that he had actually been genuinely concerned when he had come rushing into the room.

"Sorry Hiei," she recovered, smoothing a hand over what was left of her hair. "You're right. I shouldn't over-react like that. I didn't mean to worry you needlessly."

"I thought you'd be happy," he grumpily replied.

"I am happy," she lied. "Wait… Why did you think I'd be happy? Not that I'm not happy, just that being happy seems inappropriate in such a serious situation."

"I thought you'd be happy about no longer having to wear something that looked so hideous."

Hiei waved a hand at Botan and then turned his head from her as though something had suddenly appeared at the window and caught his attention. Botan looked down at herself and smiled as she saw the perfected condition her outfit was in.

"Yes," she concluded, looking back at Hiei again. "Who knew such a pair of hands could be so precise and efficient with a needle and thread?"

"Fine," Hiei muttered.

"I assume I have you to thank for this?" Botan asked.

She doubted Masa had volunteered to restitch her hems out of the goodness of her heart, after all.

"Breakfast has already been served, we should eat and leave," Hiei eventually replied.

"Right, yes, of course," Botan said, nodding her agreement.

She turned towards the door and lifted a foot to start towards it, but stopped, her foot hanging in mid-air, as Hiei held up a hand. She turned her head to him expectantly, but found him looking over at her bag in the corner of the room.

"Yes, of course, I should take that," she said, starting towards it.

Botan started to bend down, her hand reaching towards the handle of the bag, but Hiei snatched it up an instant before she reached her target.

"You don't have to carry it for me," she said as she straightened up again. "Of course it's very chivalrous of you to offer, but don't feel obliged, I can tie the bag to my oar and–"

"Did you find them?" Hiei cut her off.

"Find what?" she asked.

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

"You know what," he quietly replied.

Botan looked about herself nervously before sliding a step closer to Hiei.

"No, I don't," she said, shaking her head. "Is it a trap?"

"You tell me," he replied through tightly clenched teeth.

"Hiei, I have no idea what you're talking about," she insisted.

"The secret pair of panties you had hidden in your bag," Hiei replied, pointing a finger at the bag hanging from his hand.

Botan glanced down at the bag before making an "oh" of realisation.

"Yes, I did," she confirmed, nodding her head. "Thank goodness Inuyusha wasn't as thorough in his raid as we originally thought: it's so nice to have a clean pair of panties to wear, especially with my nicely fixed yukata."

"Right," Hiei said tightly. "And you're not at all surprised by what you found?"

"No," Botan replied. "Should I be?"

"And you're actually wearing what you found?"

"Yes. Shouldn't I be?"

"Are they yours?"

"Of course they are!"

"Aren't they a little inappropriate?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Why did you pack such a thing to come on this journey with me?"

"Because I like to feel pretty, and they make me feel pretty!"

"Are you saying you wear…? Are you saying that you always wear such extravagant…?"

"Most of the time, yes!"

"That's ridiculous!"

"It's none of your business! Why are you getting so angry about it?"

Hiei turned his head towards the window again and Botan found herself glancing in that direction to check whether there was actually something there worth looking at or if he was just avoiding looking directly at her.

"You see Hiei, I like to take care of myself," she added, controlling her tone and trying to sound calm and rational. "This is just one of the reasons why I don't understand why I can't attract a man!"

"It's a mystery to me!" Hiei snapped, turning back to glare at her.

"It's a mystery to me too, and it's my life!" she snapped back.

"Don't you think it's inappropriate to be dressing that way for a journey like this?" he asked.

"I didn't know how this journey would turn out," she pointed out. "But regardless, I still like to feel pretty!"

"You're supposed to be my wife, remember?"

"How does that affect my choice of underwear?"

"You're dressing provocatively!"

"You should be pleased that your wife still tries to keep herself attractive for you!"

"I didn't ask you to dress that way!"

"Would you prefer it if I wrapped myself up from head to toe like one of those women from the ice village?"

"It might be more appropriate!"

"So that's how it is, is it? You're a possessive husband?"

"Some people would consider that to be a good thing."

"Some people would consider that to be a lack of trust! Do you think I'll cheat on you, is that it?"

"I don't know what I think, I just know that this is wrong!"

"Well you're out of your mind, because I would never cheat on you! It hurts me that you think I would! Haven't I already proven my loyalty to you? Why are you testing our love?"

"Gees, would you two keep it down?"

Botan and Hiei both stopped short and turned very pale as they noticed Takeo standing in the doorway of the room.

"Ain't it too early in the morning for all this shouting?" he asked. "What's the matter, did you forget to rut this morning?"

Botan gasped and Hiei snarled.

"Masa's started packing away the dishes," Takeo added. "If you wanna eat, you better hurry."

Hiei turned to Botan.

"Let's go, wife," he said, his tone more than a little sarcastic.

"Yes let's, dear," she replied, her tone as caustic as his.

He held out his hand and she grabbed onto it, and together they barged past Takeo, who muttered out complaints as they went.

* * *

Hiei waited as patiently as he could for Botan to tie her bag to her oar – a task she appeared to be making a meal of – all the while trying to ignore the fact that both Takeo and Masa were standing watching him.

"I hope I haven't forgotten anything," the ferry girl muttered to herself as she picked up her oar, her task finally completed.

Hiei self-consciously touched a hand to the pocket he was keeping the small sack of hirui stones in, checking that it was still there. Everything else in Botan's possession was worthless and pointless; as long as they had the money, nothing else mattered.

"I think I'm ready," she said, turning her attention to Hiei.

"Don't ever come back," Takeo called out.

Hiei looked back over his shoulder at the snake demon.

"You're still more trouble than you're worth," Masa added.

"I'll send you a bill for the damage you did," Takeo said.

"You remember that I'm an officer of the border patrol now?" Hiei asked.

"You're still short and ugly," Masa replied.

"I could arrest you both and let Mukuro decide your fate," Hiei pointed out.

"Have a great trip," Takeo said.

"Bastards," Hiei grumbled.

"Thank you for your hospitality!"

Hiei turned sharply to glare at Botan, finding her grinning and waving at Takeo and Masa.

"They tried to kill you when we first got here," he reminded her.

"Oh it's always that way when a girl meets her in-laws for the first time," Botan replied through a sigh. "You could hardly expect them to be receptive to our unannounced visit and the news of our marriage – we didn't even have the decency to invite them to the ceremony."

"Or course we didn't invite them to the ceremony, it was a spur of the moment thing, we didn't invite anyone!" Hiei barked back.

"That's not true," Botan replied, her waving arm dropping to her side and her pink eyes moving to him with a hint of annoyance. "Yusuke and Kurama were there as our witnesses."

"We didn't need witnesses!" Hiei argued.

"I wanted them there!" Botan argued back. "I spent a lot of time and effort getting that dress – well, as much time and effort as I had, what with it being such a last minute affair – and I wanted someone other than you to see me in it!"

"Hn, it was hardly worth it for all the time you spent in it."

"Well who's fault was that? I told you not to tear it off me like an animal when we got to the honeymoon suite, but did you listen?"

"Maybe if you hadn't been wearing such alluring underwear, I would have been better able to control myself!"

"You had no way of knowing what sort of underwear I had on until after you had already torn off that dress, Mister!"

"I never know what sort of underwear you have on, and the prospect of finding out excites me!"

"Why do you say that like it's a bad thing? Keeping the romance fresh and exciting in a marriage is usually considered to be a good thing, Hiei!"

"Are you accusing me of not making an effort? Is this because of the flowers on the way to Inugoya? Because that could be considered to be – wait, what the hell are we arguing about?"

"We're arguing about your obstinacy!"

"…That makes even less sense."

Hiei waited for Botan to offer him a more satisfying and thorough explanation, but instead she just stood there, her chest heaving, her cheeks flushed red and her eyes ablaze. After a few seconds more, he realised he was in a similar state himself. Realising that Takeo and Masa were still watching on, he quickly lifted up Botan's oar and sat on it, whereupon it fell flat to the ground, and he landed rather abruptly on his rear end. He glared up at Botan, who had taken a step towards him, but appeared to be expecting him to somehow make the stupid thing fly. After a few seconds of glaring at each other Botan eventually turned around and sat down beside Hiei, curling her hands around the oar as best she could and then slowly lifting them up into the air.

"Goodbye!" she called out, waving a hand at Takeo and Masa as they rose above their heads.

"Stop that!" Hiei scolded, grabbing her arm and pulling it back down to her side.

"You said yourself they are sort of your family," Botan said. "Don't you want your family to approve of your wife?"

"I don't care if anyone approves of anything I do," he flatly replied.

"Not even me? What sort of marriage is this if we can't even agree on and support each other's decisions!"

"When have I ever stopped you from doing what you wanted to do?"

"How about this morning when you tried to tell me I shouldn't wear these panties because they're too – oh my goodness Hiei, what on earth are we arguing about?"

"I don't know!"

Hiei was glad of the silence that followed, as all the verbal parrying had been winding him up considerably, and the silence and sensation of flying were welcomingly calming.

"I think I know," Botan said after a too-brief silence.

"Know what?" Hiei asked, inwardly kicking himself for taking the bait she had dangled in front of him.

"I think I know why we were arguing," she replied. "You've finally realised it. You now finally understand the point I was trying to make all the way back in Inugoya when we first announced our marriage."

"Our fake marriage," Hiei reminded her.

"Yes, but that's exactly the point, isn't it Hiei?" Botan immediately responded. "The fact that it's fake makes it all the more important that we make it something worth faking."

"I just don't think it's logical that Yusuke and Kurama should have been there," Hiei said before he could stop himself.

"Well we needed witnesses, and Yusuke and Kurama are our only mutual demon friends."

"We don't need witnesses. The monk who performs the ceremony is the witness."

"I didn't know that."

"I hope not. Because otherwise, you really did only invite Yusuke and Kurama along to show off your dress."

"It was a lovely dress though Hiei. Before you got your claws on it, that is."

"…We're doing it again."

"Doing what? Oh, I see your point."

There followed another silence, but this time Hiei found it more awkward than relaxing.

"Am I going the right way?" Botan asked after a few minutes.

"Yes you are actually," Hiei replied.

"Oh good. You'll tell me if I should turn or stop, right?"

"Of course."

"Okay."

There was another silence, which was slightly less awkward than the previous one, though it still seemed a little tense.

"Just for the record though," Botan said eventually. "A brief ceremony in a registry hall with a no doubt drunken Yusuke and with Kurama dressed in a suit that is really just too busy to be taken seriously is not my idea of the perfect wedding."

"Mine neither," Hiei muttered.

"It's funny, because although I've always wanted to get married, I'm not really even sure what sort of wedding I would like," she continued. "I do know what I don't like though, and that is something I definitely don't like."

"Me neither."

"So do you know what sort of wedding you want?"

"Yes."

"…Even though you don't actually want to get married?"

Hiei paused.

"Oh wait, I get it," Botan said. "You were being funny. You do know the sort of wedding you want because the sort of wedding you want is no wedding, right?"

"…Sure."

Hiei hunched his shoulders and sunk lower against the oar beneath him, silently hoping that Botan kept her head turned from him and that she did not mention the subject of weddings or marriages again.

* * *

Hiei paced nervously as he waited for Botan to finish her break. With no food rations left in her bag and his general distrust of anything forageable on the road to Doro, the only things they had left were two flasks of water. Botan had been asking to take a break for some time before Hiei finally conceded – he had pretended to be irritated by her desire to stop, but in reality he had delayed the stop because something had been following them – and she was quite deliberately taking her time with her flask. Hiei had downed his in one go in the hope that it would encourage her to be quick, but she was purposefully ignoring him. When she began admiring the needlework on her outfit again Hiei turned away from her and paced in a different direction.

It was already late afternoon, and in the far distance, through a smog of filth, Hiei could just make out the skyline of Doro. It was truly a terrible place, made only more terrible by the residents – primarily the tsuchigumo – and the absolute low-point of the city's reputation definitely lay with Kuro.

"Why would my mother go to Doro?" Hiei demanded, rounding on Botan and marching up to her abruptly.

He had clearly startled her as she practically threw her flask down and began choking on the small amount of water that she had been sipping at.

"Why would she go there?" he asked again. "She maybe didn't know what it would be like, but Takeo said she led the other ice maidens there six or seven times: what the hell was wrong with her? Why would she go there – why would she keep going back there – and why did she think Kuro would do anything other than kill her when she went to seek him out after my birth?"

"Maybe it was a good girl-bad boy sort of thing," Botan feebly offered.

"I don't like that!" Hiei argued.

"Well, maybe you mother had strange taste in men. Look at Yukina with Kuwabara."

"That's hardly the same thing! Kuwabara is a decent man with morals and… Did you do that to me deliberately?"

"Do what?"

"Make me say nice things about Kuwabara!"

"No, but it was nice to know that you do understand that he is a decent man."

"Kuwabara is the opposite extreme from Kuro. I don't understand my mother."

"Maybe you'll get some closure on those questions after talking to your father."

Hiei suddenly found his hand on Botan's shoulder. He had grabbed her shoulder a little roughly, as she had jerked slightly and made a small squeaking noise at the contact, but her expression had not flinched and she was still looking at him in exactly the same way, and so he neither removed his gesture nor hesitated with his next words.

"Kuro does not engage in two-way conversation, Botan," he said.

"How do you know that if you've never met him?" she asked.

"You'll understand exactly what I mean when you meet him yourself. I just hope you meant what you said when you said you were prepared for this."

Botan nodded, though Hiei could not help but think that she looked every bit as "fresh" as Takeo had accused her of being as she sat on the rock and gazed back up at him with the eyes of a child. He sighed and removed his hand from her shoulder.

"We should keep moving," he said.

She nodded and summoned her oar without question: which Hiei was glad of, as he did not want to have to tell her that the thing that had been chasing them had, during their break, caught back up to them and was almost upon them.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Hiei and Botan arrive in Doro and find Kuro with relative ease. Botan learns exactly what Hiei meant about Kuro not being one for two-way conversation, and after Hiei witnesses Botan do something incredible he feels compelled to tell her some more truths about himself. **Chapter 19 – Above and Beyond**


	19. Above and Beyond

**Chapter 19 – Above and Beyond**

After the experience visiting the thieves in the temple, Botan did not find walking into Doro such an intimidating experience as she might otherwise have done. She was holding Hiei's hand as she walked, but not because she was afraid, more because doing so had – at some point she could not quite recall – become habit. The smog that had surrounded the town and obscured it on the approach was less of a nuisance walking through the town itself, as it hung over the roofs of the building, and at ground level, the view was relatively clear (if a little dark, thanks to the smog blocking out a good portion of the daylight). They had arrived late evening, when the sun was low but still at least an hour away from setting, which Botan thought meant they had made good time, as Hiei's earlier predictions had indicated that they would need to camp another night before reaching Doro.

But strangely, Botan no longer cared about time. At the beginning of the week, time had been the most crucial factor in what they were doing, as she had been driven by the need to get back to spirit world before the Friday deadline Koenma had set for her; but that no longer seemed to matter. She was unsure if it was resignation and acceptance of the fact that it was now impossible to make it home on time or if her focus had simply shifted, the importance of keeping the peace with her boss having dropped down her list of priorities as she became more and more deeply involved in what she was doing in demon world. What had started out as simply setting out to disprove Inukasai's lies had turned into something else entirely, something that was no longer about just exposing a stranger's lie and something that Botan was no longer only a part of because she wanted to protect Yukina and defend Hiei. It had become something Botan was a part of because it concerned her personally.

It seemed odd for Botan to think of the situation as being her own personal problem, but, as she walked through the streets of Doro, it seemed impossible to deny. She had been very involved and done a lot of prying, but she had always done everything with the intention of helping Hiei and never because she had been trying to inject herself into the situation; and yet she felt as though she was the one heading towards meeting her elusive father.

She had never seen a tsuchigumo before and, as she walked deeper and deeper into the town of Doro, she thought that perhaps she ought to have checked her notebook or else asked Hiei – or even Masa or Takeo – more questions before commencing the search for Kuro. All she did know was that insect demons – much like animal demons – could appear in any form ranging from looking exactly like the creature their spirit was based on or looking almost human. She supposed that Kuro must favour the latter option, as it was unlikely that Hina – a demon who was human in appearance bar her unusual colouring – would have chosen to attach herself to a giant spider. Of course, that was not to say that Kuro was not capable of becoming a giant spider, as some demons of humanoid appearance also possessed the ability to transform into gigantic versions of their animal or insect counterparts. Botan's only experience of any sort of demon spider was the one she had encountered on the approach to Tarukane's manor when she had accompanied Yusuke and Kuwabara on their mission to rescue Yukina: but somehow she doubted the ugly, hairy, weak creature she had met there was quite the same as Kuro.

Botan wondered what sort of powers a tsuchigumo might have. Kuro could be a psychic, he could have control over some sort of element or mastery of some sort of creatures. Botan did not fear spiders, but the thought of confronting a chitinous hoard of spiders did make her shiver and feel distinctly nauseous.

"Are you cold?"

Botan turned her head sharply to Hiei, finding him looking up at her with that odd look on his face again.

"No, it's still so hot here," she replied. "Even at this time of day and with the smog blocking out most of the sun."

"You shivered," Hiei pointed out.

"Oh, I was just thinking," Botan explained.

"I meant what I said last night," Hiei replied. "From this point on, there is no going back for either of us."

"I'm fine with that."

Hiei looked about as convinced by Botan's words as she was herself, but neither of them broke pace. As they walked on, Botan noticed that the people in Doro were reacting slightly differently to their presence to how the dog demons had in Inugoya or the ice maidens had in the ice village: some of the townspeople were stopping and staring at them as they passed, some were curiously watching on, some cast them a brief questioning glance, but most did not give them a second look. None of the demons in Doro seemed or felt threatening to Botan, but there was a strange, oppressive, feeling in the heart of the town that made it difficult to get too complacent.

"How do you know which way to go?" she asked as Hiei turned down another street, tugging at her hand for her to follow him. "Did use your jagan eye to look ahead and locate Kuro before we got here?"

"Not exactly," Hiei replied.

"Can you sense where he is?" Botan asked.

"Not exactly."

Botan thought it odd that Hiei had repeated his answer, but more than that, upon hearing his words a second time, she realised something was amiss in his tone.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Wherever we need to," he replied. "It's bad enough we're walking into Kuro's lair, we're not also going to walk into an ambush."

"A-ambush?"

Botan shivered, though this time not from something her imagination had presented her with, but from the flash of a shadow fleeting past them on a rooftop overhead.

"Are we being followed?" she asked.

"Yes," Hiei frankly replied.

"But why?" she asked, edging closer to Hiei.

"We're not from around here," he answered.

"But surely they wouldn't just attack someone as powerful as you, right?"

"The logic you're applying to this situation isn't understood by the residents of Doro."

"But… It's not a problem, right?"

"Walk faster."

Botan let out an involuntary cry of alarm as Hiei instantly began walking faster and she was forced to skip a few steps until she fell back into stride with him.

"Why are we running away?" she asked.

"I'm not running away," Hiei snapped. "I'm just trying not to waste any more time."

"I'm sure they're no threat to you–"

"But they are a threat to you."

Botan, who was almost running to keep up with Hiei, looked down at him curiously. He kept his eyes forward and did not acknowledge her, leaving her to wonder if his last comment was actually an expression of his concern for her wellbeing. She started to feel a little better then, knowing that he was looking out for her: but her relief was short-lived as a very large troll-like demon landed on the road ahead of them with an almighty thud. Hiei halted abruptly, jerking Botan to a halt at his side. He muttered out a curse and turned and ran down an alleyway, Botan sprinting after him as best she could, her feet almost leaving the ground completely as he dragged her on. As they neared the end of the alley, Hiei gradually slowed to a complete stop, which Botan was silently glad of, as her shoulder was starting to hurt from abrupt turns, stops and starts and she needed to catch her breath.

"Maybe we should fly," she suggested between breaths. "I'm much faster on my oar than on my feet… Better stamina in the air too…"

"I don't think flying is a good idea," Hiei replied, something about the lowness of his tone drawing Botan's attention to him.

His eyes were looking up, and so she followed the direction of his gaze, at first seeing nothing much of interest other than more smog. She lowered her eyes slightly and stopped as she reached the top of a building in the street ahead, noticing two things then, neither of which boded well. She lowered her eyes further and looked around the street they had run onto, and received a visual confirmation that the entire street looked the same: the buildings were all damaged as though there had been a major battle there some time in the not too distant past, and the buildings themselves were all being used as anchor points for the webbing that was obscuring the sky overhead.

Botan gulped and gripped Hiei's hand tighter: apparently they had just found Kuro.

* * *

Kuro looked almost exactly as Hiei had imagined he would. He had not given the matter a lot of thought, but a vague image had appeared in his mind back in the ice village when he had first heard Kuro's name linked to his own, and the creature he had pictured was little different to the one standing at the other side of the street. Botan appeared nervous at his side, but as she finally noticed the demon walking towards them, he heard her sigh quietly and he felt her hand relax against his. He supposed her reaction was exactly the sort his mother had experienced when she had first met Kuro: she was looking at a creature that had the appearance of a human man with a relatively plain and benign facade, and he had a very calm and neutral look on his face that suggested he was of a pacifistic nature. It was probably an easy mistake for a trusting and naïve mind like Hina's or Botan's to make, but Hiei had lived in demon world too long and knew too much about the tsuchigumo to ever accept anything based on how it appeared to his eyes alone.

"Are you Kuro?" Botan called out to him.

Kuro stopped walking and Hiei pulled his hand from Botan's. She started to turn to him, presumably to ask him why he had released her – because she still appeared to be unaware of what they had just walked into – but before she could talk, Hiei launched himself at her and flattened her to the ground. She screamed out in what could have been surprise or pain, but Hiei reasoned that even if the fall had hurt her somehow, it was still a better outcome than what would have happened had he not acted as he had. He pushed himself up onto his hands, looking down at her beneath him, half-expecting her to start berating him for pushing her over: but as he looked at her face, he could not help but notice that her eyes were locked onto something over one of his shoulders. He could not feel Kuro approaching, but in the off-chance that he had missed something he made to roll away from the direction she was looking – only to find that his left shoulder was caught on something.

"What is that?" Botan hissed.

Hiei looked back over his shoulder and found what appeared to be just a white clump of web attached to his skin. He reached his opposite hand over with the intention of grabbing the web and pulling or burning it off, but his hand did not quite manage to reach that far as he felt his other shoulder pulling it back. He frowned slightly as he saw Botan's face moving away beneath him, the look of panic on her face telling him that he needed to act quickly. It was not like a spider's web could actually do him any harm or even hold him, and so as he reached for his sword he concentrated most of his effort on making sure he got the ferry girl's attention.

"Get out of here," he said to her.

"What?" she echoed, meeting his eyes.

She looked strangely confused and Hiei silently hoped that he had not given her a concussion throwing her onto the ground the way he had.

"Get out of here," he repeated, abandoning his attempts to get his sword and instead waving his arms in the air in the hope of conveying the urgency of the situation to her. "Get your oar and fly back the way we came."

As the web lifted Hiei's entire body free of the ground he turned his head to look back up the alley he and Botan had run down moments earlier: and as he looked at it, he saw fine lengths of web knitting across it, gradually obscuring it from view.

"Quickly!" he yelled, turning back to Botan. "Get up and get out of here, right now!"

She got to her feet, but, much to his chagrin, she did not move from the point she rose to.

"Are you okay?" she called up to him. "Maybe Kuro can help get you down."

"Kuro is the one doing this to me!" Hiei snapped back. "And he'll do much worse to you if you don't get out of here!"

"I'll try to find something to cut you down."

Hiei froze momentarily, his senses overcome by a string of illogical thoughts: like why was Botan not running away like he had told her to; why was she actually looking around as though she thought she might magically find something capable of cutting through the webs holding him; how long would it take before Kuro reached her; and why was she even in such a situation anyway?

"Just get out of here!"

She held up one finger as though she was about to utter another of her hair-brained schemes, but she stopped short as a shadow fell over her. The sight of Kuro standing less than three feet away from the ferry girl was enough to bring Hiei back to his senses, and he reached for his sword again. He realised then that the webbing had wound over his shoulders and around under his armpits, and by the time he had managed to awkwardly draw out his sword with his left hand, he was barely able to keep hold of it for more than a few seconds before dropping it to the ground. He cursed and tried powering up in the hope that his own energy would burn off the webs holding him: and at first his plan appeared to work, as he heard sizzling sounds at either side of him and he felt his right arm fall free and his left arm become easier to move. He then found himself suspended several feet in the air by only his left shoulder, and so he turned to look at the point he was being held from, intending to tear off whatever was there with his hand. It looked like nothing more than an especially thick clump of web, but Hiei knew it was something more sinister than that, he knew that anything and everything about the tsuchigumo was always more deadly and vicious than its plain or innocuous appearance implied and getting himself free of it as quickly as possible had to be a priority.

Hiei's fingers fells just short of reaching the webbing as he heard a noise beneath him, his attention shifting back to Botan as she fell to the ground. She had landed in a sitting position facing Kuro, and it looked as though she had merely fallen back in surprise: but when she shuffled back slightly and one of her legs failed to follow her movement, straightening out in front of her at an odd angle, Hiei noticed the bloody gash just above her knee.

"Get out of here!" he shouted again. "Just get out of here! Get your oar and g-oh!"

Hiei grunted as something stung at his shoulder, the type of pain it caused more than the intensity of the pain catching his attention and causing him to momentarily pause to both berate himself for his own short-sightedness and to acknowledge that if he did not get the web off his shoulder soon, the situation would become dire. He turned his head and looked down at the clump of web at his shoulder, baring his teeth as he saw what had caused him the pain – a cluster of small spiders that had bitten into him with venomous fangs – and he began concentrating his energy into his hand, readying himself to disintegrate the web with a fierce blast of darkness flame.

He was certain that the flames would incinerate the spiders effortlessly and he was almost certain that the flames could burn through the webbing.

As swirls of crackling black energy erupted from his hand, Hiei grabbed it around the web cluster at his shoulder.

* * *

"Just get out of here!"

Botan held up one finger, intent on telling Hiei that he was over-reacting – he had been so protective of her lately, and really only lately, as at the start of their journey he had been happy to leave her to fend off the demon flowers on her own – but before she could find the words to admonish him accordingly, a shadow fell over her. She turned her head to see Kuro standing directly in front of her, looking down at her with a blank expression. He looked mostly human, with just a slight hint of something inhuman in his golden eyes and he seemed relatively harmless. And, she reasoned, he must have the capacity for compassion, as he had befriended Hina and her group of adventurous girls.

"You must be Kuro," she said to him. "My name's–"

"I don't care what your name is," he cut her off.

Botan paused. It seemed a little rude for him to interrupt her like that, and his words were quite harsh: but his tone had been quite light and smooth, and he still looked quite calm and amiable.

"Okay," Botan tried. "I was just trying to say that–"

"You've stepped into my lair, so let me tell you how it works here," Kuro cut her off again. "I will use four words when I give you an order, and you need to understand what each one means, and what the consequences of misunderstanding an order are."

Botan gulped. Kuro still looked and sounded so casual, but his words were starting to have a sinister meaning. Hiei's sword suddenly landed on the ground just ahead of and to one side of her and she gasped and flinched, her heart racing afterwards, her reaction to the sudden noise far more extreme because she was starting to become nervous in Kuro's presence.

"The word "will" is used to describe my actions," Kuro continued. "For example, when I say that I will be using you as an object and I will do what I want to you when I want to, I mean you should expect to have no control over either your or my actions from now on."

"I-I didn't come here looking for trouble," Botan tried, holding up her hands submissively.

There was a brief pause, during which the only sound was of Hiei struggling above her head against the webs holding him, and then Botan saw a flash of light and felt a hot, sharp pain above her right knee. An odd sensation filled the area around her knee and she suddenly found herself sitting on the ground. From her new position Kuro, who was already easily over seven feet tall, looked enormous, and she began trying to shuffle back from him instinctively, only to find that she could not move – or even feel – her right leg from the knee down.

"Get out of here!" Hiei's voice shouted down to her. "Just get out of here! Get your oar and g-oh!"

Botan looked up at Hiei, finding him frozen in place with a rare look of shock on his face. She realised then that something bad must have happened to him and on instinct she hauled herself to her feet, stumbling a little as her right leg failed to support her weight. She tried putting weight onto her right foot, but she was devoid of feeling and still had little control over the limb.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you."

Botan's head snapped up from her leg, her eyes fixing onto Kuro.

"And don't interrupt me again," he continued. "I don't like bad manners."

Botan contemplated pointing out that, so far, he was the only one who had been bad mannered; but she decided against it as she thought that anything she did say might lead to him doing to her left leg what he had already done to her right, and leaving her unable to stand.

"The word "may" is used to describe an order I give you where an alternative response to the instruction is acceptable," Kuro continued. "For example, when I say that you may cry now, it means I expect you to cry, but a suitable alternative response will also be acceptable, such as begging for your life or pleading for mercy."

Botan almost fell down again, though this time purely because fear was taking her over mentally and physically.

"But don't get too accustomed to that definition, you won't be hearing me use the word "may" very often, if at all."

Botan tried to step back, but found herself frozen on the spot; and not because of the damage to her leg, as she had actually regained enough feeling in her leg to feel the blood seeping out of her wound and down over her knee.

"The word "should" is used to describe an order I give you where you have a marginal scope for enacting the instruction. For example, when I say you should get on your knees, you don't have to do it right away, but understand that it is something you must do eventually."

Botan felt her knees tremble and she thought then that kneeling down might be something she did accidentally anyway.

"The word "must" is used to describe an order I give to you where you shall obey the instruction without hesitation. For example, when I say that you must remove your clothes, it means that as soon as I finish saying this sentence, you must do exactly that."

Botan froze again, but she was saved the problem of deciding between doing as Kuro had said, trying to run away or even just panicking, as Hiei let out an almighty yell of pain and anguish that caused even Kuro to look up.

"Every time you inject your own energy into the egg sac, you inject the energy needed to spawn more of my spiderlings. Every hoard of spiderlings that spawns will bite you, delivering more venom into you. The more energy you inject the higher the number of spiderlings that will spawn, and the more spiderlings, the more bites, and therefore the more venom, you will receive. You won't live long."

"No…" Botan whispered.

The sound of her voice drew Kuro's attention back to her, but her eyes were still on Hiei. He was in trouble, and she needed to find a way to free him from the web.

"Let Hiei go!" she tried.

Kuro narrowed his eyes at her.

"You must not talk unless I have given you permission to do so first," he warned.

"Let Hiei go and I'll stay here as your prisoner!" Botan tried.

Hiei shouted something down at her, but his voice was so ragged, all she could clearly make out were a few expletives.

"I didn't say you could talk," Kuro said, his eyes darkening as he spoke.

Botan staggered back a step and almost fell down again when Kuro took a step closer to her. He looked down at the wound on her leg and she copied his action, again fearing that he might do to her left leg what he had already done to her right: which was apparently not only to cut into her but also to inject some sort of venom into the wound, as her leg was still weak, and the skin around the wound was starting to look a strange colour.

"You ever been raped, girl?"

Botan's head snapped back up and everything stopped: her breathing, her heart and even the wind in the air.

"Maybe I'll do it while your friend is still alive," Kuro added. "He seems like the type who would like to watch."

"How can you say that about Hiei?" Botan cried. "He's your… Well… Don't you know who he is?"

"He's an emiko," Kuro replied. "The bastard son of an ice maiden. A mindless monster that can't ever do to a woman what I'm about to do to you."

"Hiei can't do that because it's immoral and he has honour!"

"He can't do it because he's impotent."

Kuro turned his head to look up at Hiei through a sideward glance, studying him for a moment before turning back to Botan.

"He's your son," she growled out.

She knew she ought not to be the one to tell Kuro as much, but she hoped that hearing the news might at least make Kuro release Hiei, if nothing else.

"Probably," Kuro replied. "I've raped more than a few of the women from that village. I'm sure some of them survived through giving birth to what I put inside them."

Botan's jaw dropped and she stopped breathing again.

"Don't worry, you won't have the same problem," Kuro said, his tone still so smooth and light. "If you do get pregnant during your time as my toy, I'll just kill you and find myself a new toy."

"Get the hell out of here!" Hiei yelled, before groaning again as more spiderlings bit into him.

Botan looked up at Hiei as his face contorted in pain, watched as sweat broke out across his face – it was a rare sight to see such an expression of weakness on Hiei's face, but the moment was fleeting. He shortly hid his suffering behind a scowl of disdain, his eyes focused and glaring at Kuro. Botan looked down at Kuro and realised then that Hiei's father was the most evil creature she had ever encountered – which was no mean feat.

By nature, Hiei was evil.

And the bandits who had raised him were little better.

Botan sighed and held up her hand, her oar appearing in it.

After all, she only had one option left.

* * *

Hiei relaxed a little when he saw Botan's oar appear in her hand: apparently she had finally seen sense and she was about to flee. He had no idea how he was going to escape Kuro's web, but he would find a way. He thought he may have to release the dragon from his arm, but doing so in an area enclosed by tsuchigumo webs would be a messy move and one that he certainly could not risk until he knew that Botan was clear of the area. He knew that, once the creator of the webs (in this case Kuro) was dead, the hoards of spiderlings would stop spawning and the webs would lose their adhesive properties without Kuro's demon energy powering them, and he would be free.

Hiei watched Botan hoist up her bag and sit onto her oar, silently hoping that she made it clear without Kuro attacking her as she tried to escape. She rose up into the air, briefly looking in Hiei's direction as she went, her face strangely devoid of any emotion or colour. She was moving much slower than usual, but he supposed that was because she was weakened from her wound and unable to summon the spirit energy required to fly any faster. As she flew across the street she began rummaging through her bag a little carelessly, tossing out most of the contents until she located the briefcase of crap from spirit world. She then opened it up and began throwing most of the contents away until she found a long metal cylinder. She then discarded the bag and the remainder of its contents save for the pair of panties she had removed the day before.

When Botan stopped and turned around to face him, the horrible idea occurred to Hiei that she was about to do something really, really stupid.

"I will let you leave for now, but I will hunt you down as soon as I've killed this emiko and feasted on his blood," Kuro called over to her. "And when I find you, you must surrender yourself to me entirely, body and mind."

Botan gripped one end of the cylinder in both her hands and wrestled with it for a moment before something popped off and she threw it down, quickly turning the cylinder upright and cramming her panties into the top end of it.

"Apparently you're the sort who only understands what it means when someone tells you that disobedience has consequences after you have been shown what those consequences are," Kuro said.

Botan looked about herself before floating down to one side towards a small campfire burning atop a barrel. She stopped beside it and reached her arm out, holding the cylinder towards the flames until her panties – still dangling out one end of the canister – caught light.

"Oh Kuro?" she said as she rose back up into the air, carrying the now flaming cylinder in her hand. "You may beg me for mercy, you should consider asking for forgiveness."

She stopped a short way in front of Kuro and several feet above his head, gripping her oar firmly with one hand and angling it downwards as she shakily moving to stand on the handle, raising her hand brandishing the flaming cylinder high above her head.

"But you must die now because I will kill you!" she yelled before launching the flaming cylinder at Kuro.

He caught it effortlessly and snorted in amusement. He began to tell her how absurd her pitiful attempt to harm him was, but she ignored him, a look of panic alighting her face as she raced towards Hiei.

"What are you doing?" he yelped.

"Get down!" she screamed before jumping from her oar and throwing herself at him.

Hiei grunted as she collided with him, the force of her action sending him flying backwards. The resistance of the webs holding him in place quickly slowed their movement, but before they reached a complete halt there was a tremendous banging sound and they were suddenly accelerating through the air again. Hiei felt his shoulder finally fall free of the webbing and on instinct he grabbed both his arms around Botan, who had already wrapped her arms tightly around him, and he braced himself as his back hit a wall and broke through it. He fell through one more wall before hitting the ground, bouncing twice and then skidding to a halt on grassland. He slowly sat up, Botan slouched against his body, and looked about himself. He was surrounded by broken masonry, pieces of Botan's oar, shreds of her bag, shards of spirit world special items, a random mejiru shiiru label and most of one of Kuro's legs.

"What the hell did you just do?" he asked faintly.

"Bug spray," she blearily replied. "I-I figured it wouldn't be strong enough on its own, and I knew he was too fast and strong to let me get close enough to spray him, so I snapped off the nozzle and set it alight. I hoped that the combination of the resulting explosion and the poison of the insecticide would be enough to incapacitate him."

"You killed him," Hiei flatly replied.

"Oh dear. I'm not doing a very good job of making a good impression on my in-laws."

Hiei snorted out a noise of amusement in spite of himself.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" he said.

Botan groaned and rolled off of him, landing on her back, her arms and legs sprawled at her sides. Hiei saw then that she was bruised and cut in quite a few places, and the wound Kuro had inflicted on her leg was still dangerously deep and turning a very unpleasant shade of yellow.

"I couldn't leave you there," she said, her eyes closed, her chest moving in short, sharp movements as her breathing began to become erratic from the effects of the venom flooding her system.

"What were you thinking?" Hiei asked her.

"Nothing," she replied. "I acted without thinking. Well, I thought about the bug spray, but I didn't think much else after that. Just use the bug spray and get you free. That was all. That always happens to me in a situation. My mind just goes blank, and I just act on instinct."

"That's actually very… You know that's really…"

She managed a weak smile.

"The dumbest thing you've ever heard?" she asked, opening her eyes to a squint to look up at him.

"No," he said softly, shaking his head.

Hiei turned his head away, looking back at Doro: somehow the blast had thrown them clear out of the town and into a field of immature crops.

"That was the bravest thing I've ever seen anyone do," he said numbly.

He sighed, reaching a hand down his shirt and lifting out the hiruiseki hanging around his neck, lifting the chain until the stone was dangling directly in front of his nose.

"There's only one thing left to do now," he said solemnly. "And if someone like you can do something like that for someone like me, I realise I have to do it straight away."

Hiei sighed again and tucked the stone back under his shirt before turning to Botan.

"I don't think I can stand up," she said, her voice slurring.

Without the adrenaline of her fear, she appeared to be succumbing to the effects of the venom more rapidly: something that logically ought to have taken her from her feet and robbed her of her consciousness mere seconds after Kuro's initial attack.

"This was such a terrible idea," she continued, sounding less and less coherent the more she spoke. "It's all my fault. I'm the one who made you come here. And then I went and killed your father before we could even get any answers from him. I'm the worst wife ever. Takeo was right, you should kill me now and marry someone more worthy."

"We're not really married, Botan," Hiei reminded her.

He was starting to feel a little nauseous from the venom in his own wounds.

"I know, right?" she responded. "It would never happen. You'd never marry me. Not even when you were after the operation with the extra eye and the no money and lack of property and power and especially not now with the money and the rich house and the S-class flame of the darkness dragon reputation eligibility bachelor."

"You're not making much sense."

"It's true though. Nobody wants to marry me. I've never even kissed anyone before. I wear the sexy underwear and do such nice things with my hair and my clothes, but nobody notices or cares. I'm the only person or spirit or demon or whatever to know what that's like."

"No you're not. Nobody wants to marry me either."

"Whuh?"

"And I've never kissed anyone either."

"Erugh?"

"At first I blamed it on what I was. Then I blamed it on who I was. Then I decided that I just wanted to get stronger and sort my own life out before I even thought about such things. But then I went to the ice village, and when I asked them if my children would turn out like I had, they told me I was infertile. So then I blamed it on that. Then I joined up with Mukuro, and I was too bitter to care any more. What was the point? Nobody ever wanted me before then, and if anyone did want me after then, it was obvious why: it was just because I had power and wealth and influence. I didn't need some vapid whore trying to seduce me with her crude wiles."

Hiei sighed again, touching a hand to his shoulder and grunting when he realised that he had lost the feeling in most of the left side of his body.

"And now this," he continued. "First Mukuro didn't believe me and cast me out just like the bandits did and just like the ice maidens did, and then Kurama and Yusuke weren't any better, and Inukasai has stolen the only family I had left right from under me and I'm powerless to do anything about it other than to admit to Yukina that the brother she thinks she has is a fake, and her real brother is a murdering mess. I don't have anything left any more. Except you, Botan. And you know, for that reason, I would marry you."

Hiei turned to Botan to gauge her response, only to sigh again as he found her fully unconscious at his side. He hauled himself to his feet, the uselessness of his numbed arm and shoulder telling him the journey to the place he was now forced to take Botan to for her to recover was going to be a long and slow one.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** As Botan and Hiei recover, they begin their inevitable journey to their inevitable next destination. After a lot of talking to each other, Hiei receives proof that something he was told in the ice village was a lie, and then Hiei finally goes to Yukina to do the inevitable. (It's all so INEVITABLE.) **Chapter 20 – Shades of Purple**

 **A/N:** It was never my intention to drag out the meeting with Kuro, but I do feel like that chapter flew by! Oh well, this chapter did nicely end one part of the story and drop a hint at what the next part will be primarily about.

As another aside, I got most of Kuro's evil speech from a contract I was reviewing at work (no joke). In the definitions section, it had the words "will", "may", "should" and "must", and I was thinking "this is so patronising and sounds more like some asshole domineering bully talking rather than legal jargon". And then BAM! I had Kuro's speech all worked out in my head.


	20. Shades of Purple

**A/N:** So this chapter is pretty much the start of the Shyamalanesque shenanigans.

* * *

 **Chapter 20 – Shades of Purple**

Botan groaned and touched a hand to her forehead.

"Stop making the ground move!" she moaned.

"The ground isn't moving, we are."

Botan slowly dragged her hand down over her face, opening her eyes to peer through her fingers as they passed downwards.

"Where am I?" she asked, squinting up at the ridged white roof over her head.

"You're on board a border patrol unit vehicle, Miss."

"That's nice."

Botan closed her eyes again and relaxed for a brief moment before sitting up abruptly in a cold sweat of panic. She looked about herself frantically, finding that she was lying on a curved lounger in what looked like a doctor's office, though the rattling and quivering of glass vials in their racks told her that she was indeed aboard a mobile unit of some sorts. She turned to the source of the voice that had been conversing with her and found herself face-to-face with a short ant demon in a long white coat who had enormous black eyes that almost looked endearing, the innocence of the demon's face only offset by the tips of a set of fangs visible on the edges of her mouth.

"You shouldn't sit up so abruptly, Miss," the ant advised her.

"How did I get here?" Botan asked.

"Your husband took you here," the ant replied. "You suffered a glancing blow from a tsuchigumo. The laceration itself was not fatally deep, but the barbs on the limb that slashed you had released venom into the wound. I've given you an anti-venom, you've had quite a lot of rest, and you ought to be fine. I don't suggest you get up and start running around just yet though."

"I can't just sit here, there's too much to do!" Botan complained.

She swung her legs over one side of the lounger, pausing to look down at the dressing on her right leg and poke experimentally at the edges of it. She moaned out an "ow" as she poked the skin by the edge of her dressing, but shortly realised that the fact that she could feel pain around her wound was actually a good thing, as it meant that she had regained the feeling in her leg. She then looked up and made to jump off the lounger, stopping at the last possible moment as the ant demon held out her arms and shook her head.

"Miss, you have to rest!" she insisted.

Botan looked about herself again. She looked at the ant demon. She looked about herself. She looked directly at the ant demon.

"You're very hospitable," she said suspiciously. "Am I still in demon world?"

The ant demon smiled, revealing a mouth of sharp teeth that answered Botan's question.

"I was only asking because people have been a lot less friendly in all the other places I've visited here," she explained.

"You can hardly expect a friendly reception visiting Doro, Miss," the ant demon replied. "Excuse me, now that you're awake, I should really inform your husband. He's been asking after you all day."

Botan nodded and watched the little ant demon leave the room. As soon as the door had closed Botan slipped off the lounger and tested her weight on her injured leg. When she was confident that her leg was supporting her, she tried walking across the room, managing four strides before her head started to buzz and she began to feel sick. She hugged her arms around her abdomen and sunk to her knees. As she huddled over and tried to ignore that she was sweating profusely and her stomach was swirling, Botan suddenly noticed the significance of some of the things the ant demon had said to her: she was aboard a border patrol vehicle, she had been resting "all day" and her husband was concerned about her. She frowned, her attention shifting away from how awful she felt and her eyes moving to the door of the room, which opened again as she watched it.

"What are you doing?"

Botan's eyebrows shot up as Hiei entered the room and started towards her.

"You're supposed to be resting, you idiot," he grumbled, stopping in front of her.

"What happened?" she asked, looking up at him.

That strange look appeared on his face again.

"What's the last thing you can remember?" he asked quietly.

"Um… Let's see…" she said, her eyes moving to one side as she tried to piece together fragments of disjointed memories flashing through her mind. "We were in Doro… We met Kuro… He wasn't very friendly… You were caught in a web and he attacked me, and so I… I think I did something with my bug spray."

Hiei squatted down, bringing himself down to eye level with Botan.

"You killed my father," he told her.

"Oh…" Botan said. "I feel sick again…"

"You don't remember killing him?" Hiei asked.

Botan shook her head.

"You made a bomb and threw it at him," Hiei told her. "There were pieces of him everywhere. You don't remember that?"

Botan shook her head again. The last clear memory she had was of finding a canister of spirit world special bug spray in her bag and feeling relieved because she thought it might be a useful weapon to deter Kuro.

"Sometimes I don't remember stressful things," she admitted. "My brain shuts down and I just act on instinct. Then afterwards it's difficult for me to remember exactly what I did, because I wasn't thinking anything when I did it."

She met Hiei's eyes again and grinned nervously.

"I like to think that it's a good thing, but I suppose it probably makes me sound like an idiot!" she said.

"Yes it does."

Botan sighed dejectedly and hung her head.

"Are you able to get up?" Hiei asked her.

"I think so," she replied.

She reluctantly moved her arms to her sides and manoeuvred onto all fours, pausing there for a moment before picking up her legs to position herself into a crouch and then slowly rising to her feet. Hiei mirrored her action and she nodded at him; but doing so made her head swim again and she stumbled slightly. To her surprise, Hiei's face flickered with a look of genuine panic and his arms shot out as though to catch her, his hands stopping just short of her arms as she managed to steady herself. She smiled at him and he once more took on that strange look on his face, pausing that way with his arms still outstretched towards her for a few seconds more before grunting out a "hn", his face dropping back into a displeased sneer and his arms dropping to his sides.

"So… How did we end up here?" Botan asked.

"You were unconscious," Hiei replied. "The venom from Kuro's attack weakened you and it would have eventually killed you. I flagged down this vehicle because I knew there were medical facilities on board."

"Oh…" Botan said, starting back towards the lounger she had awoken on. "Well, thank you for that, Hiei."

She gladly grabbed at the lounger and crawled back onto it, stopping in a slightly sloppy kneeling position in the centre of the chair.

"Where are we going?" she asked, turning to Hiei.

"We've been travelling for some time," he replied, as though he had not heard her question correctly. "It was late at night by the time I rendezvoused with this vehicle, and you've been out for some time. It's Thursday evening already."

Botan nodded, but then frowned as something about Hiei's answer caught her attention as odd.

"Did you say you rendezvoused with this vehicle?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied. "How else did you think we got aboard? By magic?"

"But you said "rendezvoused"."

"It means "met up with"."

"I know that. But at first you said you flagged the vehicle down, as though you had just coincidentally met this particular vehicle whilst hitchhiking or signalling for help at the side of a road. Then you said "rendezvoused", as though you had arranged to meet this specific vehicle at a specific place and time. So… Which was it? Did you "flag it down" or did you "rendezvous" with it?"

Hiei narrowed his eyes at her, but Botan folded her arms and glared back at him expectant of a satisfactory answer.

"I don't understand the way your brain works," he eventually said.

"Neither do I, but that's not what we're talking about here," she replied. "I'm just trying to find the truth."

"Hn, you're so determined to always know the truth…" he grumbled, turning his head from her.

"I'm just curious."

"Curiosity can cost lives."

"And it can save them."

"…You're impossible."

"And you still haven't answered my question."

Hiei turned his head sharply, glaring at Botan with a look she knew she ought to be afraid of, but her need to know the answer to her question helped her keep her focus.

"I rendezvoused with the vehicle," he said sharply. "I intentionally used my jagan to search for a vehicle with a crew I knew I could trust, located the nearest one, and then arranged to meet them halfway between where they were and where we were. Are you happy now?"

"Yes I am."

"Good."

Botan and Hiei both turned their heads away from each other. At first Botan felt a little smug that she had managed to get Hiei to tell her the truth, but as she considered what the truth had been, she started to feel a little guilty about forcing the answer out of Hiei the way she had.

"I'm sorry Hiei," she said, turning back to him. "I shouldn't have been so abrasive. That was a very thoughtful thing that you to do for me. Thank you for that."

Hiei grunted out a noise, but kept his head turned away.

"Though I do wonder what you mean when you said you searched for a vehicle with a "crew you knew you could trust"…"

Hiei slowly turned his head around, looking over at Botan.

"Because it's not like we're hiding anything, right?" she added. "And aren't you a part of the border patrol anyway? It shouldn't have mattered which vehicle or crew you joined."

"It's a little more complicated than that," he quietly replied.

"How so?" she asked, shuffling around on her knees to turn herself fully towards him.

"I'm not exactly in good favour with Mukuro or any of the patrol guard at the moment," he admitted. "Most of them think it was me who sabotaged the guard unit, not Inukasai. Mukuro and I parted ways on bad terms. This unit has had to defy orders and not only change direction of their route, but also change course entirely in order to pick us up and now to take us to our next destination."

"Oh, I see. That seems very complicated and like it might cause you a lot of bother. Why did you choose this option to continue our journey?"

"We both needed medical care and we time to recover. I obviously knew there were medical personnel and facilities on board these vehicles and I knew that, if I found a good crew, I could convince them to not only give us the medical assistance that we needed, but also to take us onwards, so that we would not lose time as we recovered."

"That was very clever. I hope this doesn't cause you any trouble though."

"I can't think about that now. Travelling at this speed, we should reach our destination by this time tomorrow."

"So… Friday evening?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Well, maybe this time we'll find some solid answers. It's unfortunate we won't get back to Yukina before she goes to visit Inukasai in his stinky hometown, but all is not yet lost. Despair not, Hiei, we can still fix this!"

Botan smiled expectantly at Hiei, but something about the look on his face made her enthusiasm quickly dissipate.

"You never did say where we're going…" she said slowly. "Must be quite far that the journey is taking two days…"

"Get some rest while you can," Hiei replied.

He turned away and started towards the door, but Botan could not let him leave without answering her, especially as his evasiveness to give a direct answer was only serving to fuel her curiosity.

"Where are we going?" she called after him. "Because I really think we should be going back to the ice village! I think we missed something when we went there the first time and now that we know for sure that Kuro was your father, we can maybe negotiate with Rui to give us that photo or for her to tell Inukasai the truth!"

Hiei paused, one foot out the door, the other raised to leave the room entirely.

"There is only one place left for us to go now," he said, without turning around or looking back.

"The ice village!" Botan insisted.

Hiei took another step forwards and the door began to swing shut behind him. Just before the door closed completely, he said one last word that left Botan temporarily stunned.

"Inugoya."

Botan hesitated for a moment before shaking her head and leaping off the lounger. She started towards the door but dropped to her hands and knees just short of her goal. She still felt incredibly nauseous and a little weak, but she needed to talk to Hiei. The last thing she wanted to do was go back to Inugoya, and she could not even think of any good reason to do so just yet. And, by Hiei's estimates, they would arrive there after Yukina and Kuwabara, and that would only make the visit all the worse to bear.

"This isn't over," she growled, gripping her hands into fists against the floor. "The liar isn't going to win this one. We're not stopping until we get to the truth!"

* * *

Hiei was fully aware that the ferry girl was leaning over him, but he kept his eyes closed and stayed still in the hope that she would think he was asleep and leave him alone. The sun was rising, but he had not really slept much during the night, and, as soon as the ferry girl was gone, he intended to actually get some sleep.

"Hiei, stop faking it!" she snapped suddenly.

Hiei begrudgingly opened his eye nearest her, squinting up at her determined face, framed by the red sky overhead.

"We need to talk, Hiei," she said as he looked into her eyes.

"The time for talking is over now, ferry girl," he told her before closing his eye again.

She sighed and sat back on her heels. After a few seconds more, when she did not make a move to leave, Hiei opened both his eyes and turned his head slightly towards her. He had deliberately taken himself out onto the roof deck of the patrol vehicle to sleep because he had been sure that nobody on board would be stupid enough to follow him up there. He had enjoyed a night of peace, but apparently the dawning of a new day had reawakened and reinvigorated Botan's insatiable curiosity.

"We can't go back to Inugoya," she said. "Not yet. We don't have something solid to nail Inuaksai's lies with yet!"

"I thought I made myself clear about this back in the temple in the salt flats," Hiei replied. "This isn't about disproving Inukasai's lies any more."

"Then why are we going back to Inugoya?"

"Because it's time to."

"But didn't you say Kuwabara and Yukina would be there tonight?"

Hiei closed his eyes. He did not want to see the ferry girl's face when he said his next words.

"Kuwabara and Yukina are already there."

"What?"

Hiei sighed.

"They left the living world last night," he explained. "They were too excited to wait until this morning to travel there."

"But… How did they even know where to find Inugoya?" the ferry girl asked. "I thought they didn't know where it was?"

"They have a guide," Hiei replied.

"Where did they find a guide from?" she cried.

"Kurama."

There was a silent pause, and so Hiei dared to open his eye nearest Botan again to look peek up at her.

"Did you just say Kurama?" she asked as his eye found hers.

"Yes," he flatly replied.

"But… Didn't you say before that Kurama wasn't going to help them find Inugoya?"

"Yes, I did say that. He changed his mind. Yusuke convinced him that it was better to take them there than to leave them wandering aimlessly around demon world on their own."

"But why would he…? No! Why didn't Yusuke say something?"

"Yusuke did say something."

"That's more like it! Good old Yusuke! I know I can always count on Yusuke in a difficult situation!"

"He said "take me with you, I hear the women in Inugoya are easy"."

"Ah Yusuke, that's just the sort of thing he would say! He's so – wait, what?"

Hiei smiled in spite of himself and opened both his eyes, turning his head to look directly at Botan.

"Yusuke, Kurama, Yukina and Kuwabara spent the night in Inugoya last night," he said.

"Why would they do that?" she yelled, bunching her fists at her chest, her eyes flashing with rage. "Where is their sense of loyalty?"

"Inukasai has bonded with them in our absence," Hiei told her.

He supposed he ought to have cushioned the blow, but the girl was going to find out one way or another eventually, and at least this way, she would be prepared for what awaited them in Inugoya.

"They all rushed out there yesterday evening because Sosoinu did something that she will no doubt spend the rest of her life from this point on either preparing for or doing."

Hiei closed his eyes and relaxed again, feeling like he might actually be able to fall asleep even with Botan hovering over him.

"Who on earth is Sosoinu?" she asked after a short, peaceful, silence.

"Inukasai's wife," Hiei replied.

"I don't remember her name being Sosoinu," Botan said. "I think I would remember it if she had introduced herself. Also, I thought all the dog demons had names starting with "Inu", like "Inukasai" and "Inuyusha"."

"That's just the males of the tribe," Hiei corrected her. "The females have names ending in "inu"."

"That's dumb!"

Hiei opened his eyes – this time fully – and turned his head towards Botan, finding her still kneeling at his side, her arms crossed over her chest and her face set into a pouty scowl of sulky displeasure.

"Either way, that's the situation," he told her. "Everyone is there already, and, at our current speed, we should reach them just in time for the celebratory banquet tonight."

"I won't eat anything, I have nothing to celebrate!" she shot back.

"They're not holding the banquet on your behalf," Hiei replied. "This may surprise you, but we're unlikely to be welcomed back to Inugoya."

"Don't care."

Hiei sighed and pushed himself up onto his elbows.

"Listen to me, we only have a few more hours until we have to disembark," he said. "This vehicle can only take us to the foot of the mountain Inugoya is at the top of – the last time we scaled the mountain, we started from halfway up. This time we are starting from the bottom. Do you remember how difficult the journey up the mountain path was for you last time? Because this time it will be twice as long and twice as hard, and this time you don't have your oar any more."

"What are you talking about?" Botan said, looking and sounding inappropriately indignant. "Of course I still have my oar! Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean I don't have it! I just have to summon it and bam! There it is!"

"…You said the oar you summon is always the same oar," Hiei said, sitting up completely.

"That's right," Botan agreed.

"And that oar is broken."

"Oh Hiei, I thought we'd been through this already! Yes, there's a small crack in the blade, but it can still fly! You flew on it with me remember?"

Hiei gave Botan a flat look, but she lost none of her enthusiasm.

"If you don't believe me, take a look at this!" she said cheerfully, holding up her left hand.

Something popped into the palm of her hand and she closed her fist around it, pointing her right hand over at the item she was holding.

"There you see?" she said. "As good as a-ah!"

She yelped as she finally actually looked at what had appeared in her hand, turning over the splintered length of wood several times before then also noticing the pile of wood shards that had appeared on the roof beside her legs.

"What happened to my oar?" she wailed.

"It got a little bit damaged in the explosion," Hiei replied. "Perhaps you shouldn't have leapt off of it the way you did. That was a bit unnecessary. Throwing away all the crap you made me carry around for days seemed a bit excessive too."

"Doing what?"

Hiei rolled onto his hip and then brought his legs up under himself until he was kneeling facing Botan directly.

"Don't you remember anything about what happened in Doro?" he asked.

He was ready to go ahead and read her mind to confirm it, because he found it difficult to accept that she had forgotten everything past the point of Kuro catching them in his webbed lair. She shook her head and then looked down at the remains of her oar.

"Though I suppose what you're telling me must be true," she concluded. "It does explain what happened to my oar and why I can't find my bag or any of my belongings."

"Yes," Hiei said. "You should go and get some rest now. Conserve your energy for the journey up the mountain later today."

"Oh no, I slept most of yesterday, I feel fresh as a daisy now."

"Hn."

Hiei waited for Botan to notice that she had just called herself "fresh as a daisy" – the same title Takeo had given her, though with a different implication – but she seemed not to notice either her verbal blunder or the fact that he had been implying that she should leave him alone because he wanted to rest until they needed to disembark the vehicle.

"Captain Ootake will be most displeased when he finds out that I lost everything," she said instead. "Still, I consider the sacrifices of the things I have lost – including my oar – to be worth it for this lovely new outfit I have."

Hiei looked down at the yukata the ferry girl was still wearing, silently hoping that she never found out where that outfit had really come from.

"I'm going to sleep now," he said, lifting his head to look her in the eye again.

"Oh, well, I'll stay here with you," she replied.

"I'm only going to sleep," he pointed out.

"That's fine. I'll sleep here with you."

"…Wouldn't you rather sleep on a bed and inside?"

"Not really. I keep having nightmares because that doctor keeps standing over me while I sleep, and I wake up to find her bug eyes staring at me."

"Okay."

Hiei resettled himself onto his back, resting his head onto his upturned hands. The ferry girl waited for him settle before throwing away the shard of her oar that she had summoned and then crawling over to lie down alongside him.

"Don't lie there," he said as she lay back at his side.

"Why not?" she asked, lifting herself up onto her elbows and looking back down at him.

"I don't like you on that side of me. Move over and lie on my right side."

"Oh, okay."

Hiei closed his eyes and waited for her to comply, expecting her to either get up and step over him or else crawl around his head or feet to reach his other side. However, instead of enacting one of those far more sensible solutions to the problem, she moved up into a crouch and lifted one leg over him before abruptly sitting down onto his midsection with an indignant "hey" as though he had been the one to do something ridiculous to her. His eyes snapped open at the contact, and he glared up at her, the visual confirmation of her sitting on him coming as a surprise despite him already having known and felt that it had happened before opening his eyes.

"What are you doing?" he growled at her.

"You prefer it when I sleep on the right side of the bed?" she asked, glaring down at him.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "We're not in a bed! I already told you: if you want to sleep in a bed, go back inside and find one!"

"It was you who swapped sides with me in the ice village!" she replied.

"What?"

"When we shared a bed, you were the one who swapped sides with me because you just admitted that you prefer to sleep on the left side!"

"I don't see what… That's not… Get off of me!"

Botan smiled and shrugged, but did, thankfully, oblige in climbing off of him. Hiei kept angry eyes fixed onto her as she settled down at his side, smirking smugly to herself the whole time.

"It's okay Hiei," she said, her smirk turning into a grin. "A good wife knows how to keep her husband happy in bed."

"If you were such a good wife you would have already known that without the need for me to tell you about it now!" Hiei snapped back.

"It's not good for a married couple to argue in the bedroom."

"We're not in the bedroom."

"It's the same thing."

Hiei opened his mouth to argue further, but the breath he drew to answer the ferry girl back caught in his throat as she rested her head against the crook of his arm. He slowly turned his head towards her, and she did the same, their noses barely touching once their heads were fully turned towards each other.

"Just shut up," he muttered.

She made a small noise that could have meant anything, but when she followed it by rolling onto her side and draping an arm over his chest, bunching up a handful of his shirt to anchor herself in place he decided not to question her on it. Instead he rolled towards her and moved his other arm around her until they were tucked into each other completely.

"Just stay close," she mumbled into his shoulder.

"Hn," he grunted back.

Hiei closed his eyes, briefly noting how ridiculously uncomfortable and stiflingly hot their position was before relaxing into it and falling asleep.

* * *

The climb up the mountain path was a tiring one, but the strain was less demanding than Botan had expected it to be. She thought that maybe it seemed less strenuous than the first time because Hiei was walking much slower; but she thought that it was probably also because, even from halfway up the mountain, they had been able to hear the sound of the dog demon tribe partying. As they reached the final gravel path stretch up to the village itself, Botan noticed again the lines of laundry flapping in the wind. It was almost fully dark out, with only a glow on the horizon marking where the sun had set, which made it seem odd that there was still laundry airing outdoors: though it seemed as though the entire village was joining in on the celebration, and presumably whoever had hung out the sheets of linen had long since forgotten about them.

But Botan could not help but think it ironic that the sheets the dog demons had hung up were all purple.

Botan was expecting one of the dog demons to run out and meet them on their approach – probably looking for a fight – as that had been how their last visit to the village had gone, and as they had made such a bad impression on the dog demons, it only seemed all the more likely that someone would try to stop their entry into the community. And so, when a figure appeared within their line of sight, Botan was not surprised. She was a little surprised that the dog demon who had spotted them was one that she recognised, but she was not at all surprised when the dog demon came running down the path towards them.

"Hiei, Botan!"

Botan stopped so abruptly and forcefully that she actually managed to make Hiei stop as her hand caught on his.

"Holy hell, what happened to the two of you? It looks like you've been through the wars! Hiei, where's your coat? And Botan, what happened to your lovely hair?"

Botan slowly turned to Hiei, hoping that he would explain to her what was happening; but he kept his eyes on the dog demon ahead of them.

"We need to speak with Yukina," Hiei said.

"Oh, well, she's here."

Hiei groaned.

"I know that."

"Come in, come in!"

Hiei made to walk on, but again he was halted by Botan, who was still frozen to the spot where she had stopped. He turned to look at her expectantly and she stared back at him blankly.

"You remember Sosoinu?" he said. "Inukasai's wife?"

Botan moved her eyes to the leggy brunette woman with dog ears and slightly too large hands and feet, dressed in a plain, sleeveless white dress that ended in a ragged hem halfway down her thighs.

"She looks less pregnant than she did the last time I saw her," Botan concluded.

"Yes," Sosoinu said, touching one of her big hands to her stomach and smiling brightly. "I gave birth to my baby boy yesterday afternoon. That is sort of why Yukina and Kuwabara are here: when they heard the good news, they brought their visit forward so that Yukina could meet her new nephew as soon as possible!"

Botan turned to Hiei.

"I'm going to be sick," she said.

"I did tell you to rest on the way here," Hiei replied. "Even though you were given an anti-venom, you are likely to continue to feel nauseous."

"That's not why I feel sick."

Hiei frowned slightly, but Botan shifted her attention back to Sosoinu, who suddenly looked a lot more attractive than Botan remembered her looking earlier that week.

"Hey, what are those two doing here?"

Botan turned to the source of the new voice, finding the same young, dark-haired dog demon who had greeted her and Hiei the first time they had arrived in Inugoya.

"Oh give it a rest, muttley!" Sosoinu said before punching him lightly in the side of the head. "We sorted out all our problems with these two the last time they were here: they return here as our friends."

"Really?" Botan growled. "It's as simple as that?"

"Of course it is!" Sosoinu cheerfully replied. "Why wouldn't it be? We dog demons don't believe in holding grudges."

"Good for you," Botan said sarcastically.

"But please, come in, join the party! I know your friends will want to see you both, and you can meet little Inudaiki!"

"Who?"

"My new little baby boy!"

Botan turned to Hiei again, and she recalled then the conversation they had shared as they had left Inugoya several days ago: that had been when Hiei had first told her about how all emikos were infertile, and ultimately he had told her that the child Sosoinu would birth would be Inuyusha's son and not Inukasai's. The thought brought a grin to Botan's face, and she turned back to Sosoinu then.

"I'd love to see the little tyke!" she said.

"Follow me!" Sosoinu replied.

Botan walked on, this time dragging Hiei with her as he hesitated to follow. He took longer than usual to fall into stride with her, but soon they were walking hand-in-hand through Inugoya towards Inuyusha's house, which was packed with bodies, the party concentrated inside the house, but just as lively immediately outside the house too. Sosoinu roughly pushed the other dog demons aside to clear a path for Hiei and Botan, actually knocking some of the others down to the ground in her zeal. Botan shook her head as she saw a small child fall and graze his knee after a shove to the shoulder from the new mother ahead of them.

Sosoinu eventually led them into the same room they had met with Inuyusha in, and the old leader of the dog demon tribe was sitting in exactly the same place as he had been then: only this time there were several others with him, including Inukasai, Yukina and Kuwabara, sitting on the sofa at his side and Yusuke and Kurama, who were standing by the window each holding a mug of some sort of drink.

"Hiei!" Yusuke gasped, being the first of the group to notice their arrival.

"Botan!" Yukina said, her head snapping up.

"Damn Botan, what the hell did you do to your hair?" Yusuke added.

"And what are you wearing?" Kuwabara added.

"Yeah, you look like the slutty love interest in a bad kung-fu movie!" Yusuke added.

"We've all been drinking," Kurama pointed out.

Yukina stood up from her seat, but as she did so, Botan noticed that she was cradling a baby, wrapped in sheets, in her arms.

"I must say, I did not expect to see either of you again so soon," Inukasai said, rising to his feet at Yukina's side. "I have been a little distracted lately however. As you can no doubt see, my son has arrived."

"Can I hold him?"

Hiei turned sharply to Botan to glare at her in disbelief, but she ignored him, instead releasing his hand and reaching out her arms towards Yukina.

"Of course you can!" Sosoinu said, sprinting over and scooping the bundle of cloth out of Yukina's arms. "Do be careful though."

"I know how to hold a baby, thank you very much," Botan coldly replied as Sosoinu laid the child into her arms.

"Yes, but Inudaiki is no ordinary baby," Sosoinu said in what Botan thought was a patronising tone. "He's half-dog demon and half-emiko – though he doesn't really look it. It seems he took most of his genes from just one of his parents."

Botan grinned maliciously.

"I wonder why that is?" she said, casting Hiei a knowing look.

She then looked down at the child in her arms.

And her whole world fell away from her.

"I don't understand how this is possible," Hiei said quietly.

"Ah," Inukasai said, nodding his head and approaching Hiei. "From that I infer that the ice maidens told you the same terrible lies that they told me. When I told them of my wife and that she was with child, they told me the child could not possibly be mine. They told me all emikos were infertile. I am not surprised that they told you the same thing: the pain of doubt their lies caused me was relentless. I knew I should not doubt the virtue of my beloved, but I had also expected my ancestors to be honest about such a personal matter. Fear not, Hiei, it is but a lie, as I am sure you can see for yourself in my son Inudaiki: I can do it, and so can you."

Botan turned to Hiei, finding him peering at the child in her arms with that strange look on his face again.

"Whether it be with your wife here, or any other woman," Inukasai added.

Botan turned her head sharply towards him, glaring at him threateningly.

"What was that?" Yusuke asked.

"Did you just call Botan Hiei's wife?" Kurama asked. "I think you must be mistaken."

"Wait, what?" Kuwabara yelped, leaping to his feet. "When did Hiei and Botan get married?"

"Yeah, and why didn't you invite me and Kurama, you selfish bastards?" Yusuke added.

"Hey, they didn't invite us either!" Kuwabara argued. "They didn't even tell us!"

"They're not gonna invite you, you don't live in demon world and Hiei doesn't even like you!" Yusuke shot back.

"I had no idea the two of you were even courting," Kurama said, casting Botan a suspicious look.

"Well it's true," she flatly replied.

"Really?" Yusuke echoed.

"Yes, really!" Hiei snapped, rounding on him. "What's so hard to believe about that?"

"Um, nothing, I guess…" Yusuke muttered, stepping back from Hiei.

"I can't even imagine what their relationship must be like…" Kuwabara muttered.

"I can," Yusuke said.

Botan and Hiei both turned to him in alarm, but he merely shrugged.

"I kinda imagine that he hates his job, but he works hard at it so she can stay at home and look after their son who looks like a monkey and their daughter who likes shiny things. He doesn't make much money, but she's really tight with money anyway, and he sleeps too much but she's a total nag, so it all balances out, y'know?"

The room fell silent and all eyes remained on Yusuke.

"Or maybe I've just been watching too much anime lately…" he added, rubbing at his chin and adopting a pensive look.

Botan rolled her eyes and took one last look at the child in her arms – who could just as well have been one of the children the ice maidens held photographs of in their files – before passing the child back to his mother. Sosoinu passed the baby to her husband and then held out a hand to Botan.

"I can tidy up your hair for you, if you like," she offered.

Botan felt her lip curl in disgust and she made to tell Sosoinu exactly what she could do with her shallow offer of help: but before she could speak, Hiei cut her off.

"It's fine, go with her," he said.

"Really?" Botan asked him.

He nodded, reaching a hand into his shirt and lifting out Yukina's hirui stone.

"There's something I have to do," he said, his eyes on the stone.

Botan nodded and stepped towards Sosoinu; but she resisted the dog demon's attempts to take her from the room, remaining where she was to watch as Hiei lifted the chain from around his neck and approached Yukina, the stone resting in the centre of his palm and the chain dangling down over his bandaged fingers.

"Yukina, I need to tell you something," he said, stopping in front of his sister.

"What is it, Hiei?" she asked sweetly.

Hiei glanced around the room before returning his attention to her.

"Can we go somewhere else to talk alone?" he asked.

Yukina looked around the room before looking at Hiei again and smiling softly.

"I'm surrounded by my family here," she said gently. "There's nothing you could possibly have to say to me that you can't say in front of anyone here."

Botan saw Hiei's shoulders slump slightly.

"Alright," he said.

Botan gasped in a breath of air and held it there, her eyes staring unblinkingly at Hiei.

"I need to talk to you about the promise I made to you when you gave me this," he said, moving his hand towards her. "You asked me to help you find your brother, and I told you that I would. But I wasn't being entirely honest with you that day. I'm going to tell you something now that I should have told you back then – or possibly much earlier in our acquaintance."

Hiei paused before continuing, and the moment felt as though time itself had stopped: Botan still could not blink or breathe, but she did feel a tear well up and spill from the corner of one of her eyes, sliding over her cheek.

She had not really thought about what Hiei's plans were for when they arrived in Inugoya, but in that silent moment, she understood everything, from the impact of Inukasai's arrival, through the journey Hiei had just been on with her to the reason why Koenma had asked her to allow the situation to continue for the sake of experimentation.

And it was too much to bear.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** After a heartfelt confession to Yukina, Hiei and Botan leave the village and both have a lot to confess to each other, and then they have one last place to visit and one last mission to complete together. **Chapter 21 – Closer**

 **A/N:** Daiki means "great" or "noble"…

And Yusuke's description of Hiei and Botan's marriage is a nod to Shin Chan (the English dub actors for Hiei and Botan (ie Chuck Huber and Cynthia Cranz) are husband and wife in Shin Chan, and I basically just hear Botan and Hiei when I watch that show).


	21. Closer

**A/N:** Like the film of the same name, this chapter title has two meanings, and both happen in this chapter (I hope!). One meaning is getting closer (together), the other is something happens that is a closer of events.

And this is quite a pivotal chapter, it's all a bit Shymalan-a-ding-dong…

* * *

 **Chapter 21 – Closer**

"Can we go somewhere else to talk alone?"

Hiei had already resigned himself to what he had to do. In reality, he had resigned himself to what he had to do the day he had arrived in the living world and found Inukasai in Kuwabara's house: but that did not make the prospect of enacting it any easier to bear.

"I'm surrounded by my family here," Yukina said, her gentle smile telling him that she was blissfully unaware of how her every word was cutting into him. "There's nothing you could possibly have to say to me that you can't say in front of anyone here."

"Alright," Hiei conceded. "I need to talk to you about the promise I made to you when you gave me this," he said, moving his hand towards her. "You asked me to help you find your brother, and I told you that I would. But I wasn't being entirely honest with you that day. I'm going to tell you now something that I should have told you back then – or possibly much earlier in our acquaintance."

Hiei knew that it was pointless to delay the inevitable, but he found himself pausing anyway. He could feel a strange tightness in his throat and chest that he never had before, and he really wished that he did not have to deal with it in the presence of Kuwabara, Inukasai, Sosoinu and the little baby Inukasai had miraculously managed to father.

"What is it, Hiei?" Yukina asked.

Yukina's hirui stone rolled smoothly off of Hiei's palm with just the slightest movement of his wrist, the shimmering gemstone falling until it caught against the chain bound to it that was still tangled through Hiei's fingers.

"The truth is Yukina…" he said, moving his hand closer to her. "I came here today to return this to you, as you asked. I should never have taken it from you in the first place, because it was never my intention to search for your brother. I wasted your time pretending that I would, and I'm not sure why I did that."

Yukina reached out her hands to catch her hiruiseki as Hiei unwound his fingers from the chain and it fell down.

"However, I am pleased that you have found your brother now and that he is everything you hoped he would be. I know that, after you left the ice village, you longed for a family of your own, and now you have just that: a good brother, a sister-in-law, a nephew and a step-father."

"I am very lucky," Yukina replied. "Thank you so much for returning my hiruiseki to me. Now I have everything I've ever wanted. I'm so happy."

"Me too," Hiei said. "Will you excuse me?"

Hiei turned away from Yukina, but not before he saw her lift the chain of her hiruiseki back up over her head and then turn to Inukasai to fuss over the baby in his arms. As he walked back across the room, behind himself he heard Kuwabara commenting on how great it was that Yukina had everything back and from the corner of his eye he saw Yusuke and Kurama exchanging confused looks, and he did not need the power of his jagan to know why: clearly they were wondering whether or not he had ever been Yukina's brother and what had changed in the last week to make him do what he just had.

But the truth was, nothing had changed.

Not even Inukasai's arrival had changed anything.

The facts still were what they were: Hiei's father was still Kuro, Hiei's past was still strongly linked to Takeo and his bandits and Hiei was still a detached loner with a long rap sheet littered with tales of torture that were far beyond the scope of understanding or forgiveness from an innocent like Yukina. Inukasai himself meant nothing. His arrival and interference had merely forced a situation that Hiei had, deep down, always known would arise one day. He had always known that, one day, Yukina would either tire of searching for her elusive brother or else learn the truth, and Hiei knew that, on that day, his hand would be forced. It mattered not how it came about: his response always had to be the same. He could never let Yukina know the truth because the truth was something she did not deserve to suffer. It was better that she continue believing the lie.

In a way, it was almost a good thing that Inukasai had been the one to initiate it all.

At least with Inukasai, Yukina had a step-father she could share family stories with without him incapacitating her and then brutalising her as Kuro would have. At least with Inukasai Yukina could be a sister-in-law and an aunt – not to mention the plethora of cousins she had acquired as part of the deal. Kuwabara and Inukasai seemed to be fast friends, which made the deal all the sweeter as far as Yukina was concerned. And, as long as Yukina believed that her mother had been Inuyusha's lover, then her story was good one. Yukina would think her mother was a sweet woman who had chosen a kind-hearted (if physically repugnant) man as her lover and that the two had genuinely cared for each other and always genuinely intended to be a family. It was a far nicer story than the real one: that Hina had the same reckless streak in her that Hiei had, and she had gone chasing after one of the sickest sadists in demon world in her quest for "adventure", and wound up getting herself murdered by him so that he could sell his own son as a commodity.

It really was the only way it could be.

As he left the house and shouldered his way through the revellers outside, Hiei wondered where he would go next: going back to Mukuro to endure a lecture on his sulking was the last thing he wanted to do, but he could not really think of anything else he could do. Realistically, there was nothing else that he could do, other than go back to his old life. The thought of doing just that – returning to being a bandit, travelling alone and only occasionally joining with others when the need arose – seemed oddly appealing in that moment, especially because he no longer felt as though there was anyone he could trust. Hiei had never trusted anyone after Takeo and his bandits had abandoned him, and, back then, he had sworn to never allow himself to trust anyone again. That had changed when he had met Kurama; and over time he had learned to trust several people. But, in time, all of them had reminded him why he had stopped trusting people so long ago.

As he reached the edge of Inugoya, Hiei glanced at the purple sheets of linen flapping in the wind at his side. Something seemed amiss, but as he turned to walk on, he suddenly found himself on his knees. He had not felt his legs giving way beneath him, but he did feel what followed as something collided with his back.

"Oh Hiei, that was awful!"

Hiei lowered his head, but otherwise did not move as Botan squashed herself against his back, her arms grabbed fiercely around his chest.

"That… Was the bravest thing I've ever seen anyone do…"

Her voice was faltering, and by the uneven rising and falling of her chest against his back, he could tell that she was starting to cry.

"You shouldn't have had to do that."

She was such an optimist. But she just did not understand. She was probably still trying to figure out a way to fix what had happened. And it was probably killing her that their little journey to find the truth had ended with them furthering the biggest lie of all.

Botan clutched Hiei tighter and buried her face into his shoulder, and she began to openly cry. Her misery was strangely relaxing and something of a relief for Hiei. The more distraught she became, the more relaxed he felt. A part of him envied her ability to just surrender to her despair so. He had never really been able to express his own feelings satisfactorily, either in words or in actions, but Botan was a master at it. She was the one exhausting herself physically with her sobbing, but he was the one feeling the release of her efforts.

He was not really sure why she had chosen to follow him out of Inuyusha's house. She could have stayed to let Sosoinu fix her precious hair. She could have stayed to talk to Yukina and set the record straight about the lies Inukasai had told about her. She could have stayed amongst friends and she would, after an initial bit of friction with Inukasai, been welcomed by them all.

After all, the dog demons were not all that different from her: they all acted with the best of intentions and they were all fundamentally good souls.

Hiei looked down at himself, his eyes focusing on Botan's hands, which were balled into tight fists around handfuls of his shirt. He could see the whites of her knuckles straining against her skin and he could see what he could already feel against his back and shoulder: she was shuddering and shaking. And he could hear that she was starting to choke.

"Don't cry," he said.

"But it's so awful!" she spluttered out into his shoulder.

"But it's over now," he reminded her. "I understand that you probably didn't expect this, but I always knew this was how it would be. I don't need your pity. Conserve your energy, there's still a way to go to get you back home."

Hiei was relieved then that she started to compose herself. As strangely soothing as her tears had been, he had heard enough of her pitiful sobbing and, with his confrontation with Yukina over, he was keen to end the whole messy affair entirely and move on; one way or the other.

"I can't go home," she said, lifting her head from his shoulder.

Hiei sighed quietly. She was so impossible. She still thought she could fix it. She still believed in some sort of idealistic and unrealistic happy ending.

"Not yet," she continued. "I-I can't just leave you like this."

"Yes you can," he replied. "There's nothing more you can do here. I'm sure you're needed back in spirit world."

"Hiei, I…"

Hiei watched as Botan's fingers opened out, leaving behind creased bunches of his shirt. Her arms slid from him entirely and she stood up behind him before walking around and then kneeling down again in front of him.

"The truth is, I haven't been entirely honest with you, Hiei," she said.

Something about the look on her tear-stained face made Hiei suspect that the treachery he had endured from those around him in the past week was not quite over yet.

"The truth is Hiei, although I never believed Inukasai and although I did always intend to help you, when I went back to spirit world to try to access the files on the ice village, Lord Koenma gave me an order."

"I see. Of course."

Hiei nodded and squared his jaw.

"This is better," he said. "This makes more sense."

"Wh-what do you mean?" the ferry girl asked.

"I mean the one thing that hasn't made any sense this past week is why you would stand by me so religiously when absolutely nobody else would," he replied. "But of course it was false. You weren't doing it by choice."

"That's not true, Hiei," she said, shaking her head. "And the fact that it's not true is why I now have a problem and why I now I can't go home."

"What was the order you were given?"

"Lord Koenma asked me to follow you and study your behaviour. He asked me to pretend that Inukasai really was Yukina's brother and see how you dealt with it. He said it was some sort of social experiment. He wanted to know if another emiko born to a father who was… Of a different sort of character and who was raised by a loving family could turn out differently to how you did."

"That sounds like something spirit world would tell you to do."

"I hated it, Hiei. I don't agree with it. I told Lord Koenma I thought it was despicable. But then he told me if I did it I could join the spirit world council."

"That sounds like something significant."

"It is. It's the highest honour a resident of spirit world can achieve. It's something I've always wanted, but always believed was beyond my reach."

"So you should go back and tell Koenma what you saw and take the opportunity."

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't believe in it."

"You don't have to. Just tell him what you saw. Surely you have enough evidence to give him the information he wants? You've seen how benign Inukasai's family is and how malignant mine are: isn't that all the evidence you need?"

"It doesn't matter what I saw or what happened. I can't report back to Lord Koenma because I never intended to complete the order he gave me in the first place. I can't do something I don't think is right. I was supposed to report back to Lord Koenma today."

Hiei and Botan both turned to the horizon, despite the fact that night had fallen with not even a trace of light to denote where the sun had set.

"You must have known you wouldn't make it all this way and back in time," Hiei concluded, before turning back to Botan.

"Yes, but it was never my intention to go back," she replied. "Well, that's not exactly true: in the beginning, I thought we would have enough time to come here, to Inugoya, disprove Inukasai's relation to Yukina, go back and tell Yukina that Inukasai was an impostor and put an end to the whole situation. I thought if we could fix it before Lord Koenma expected me to report back to him, I wouldn't need to report back because there would be nothing to report on."

"So you sabotaged your own mission?"

"In way yes, I suppose."

"But without the mission to complete, how did you expect to get your promotion onto the spirit world council?"

"I didn't."

"I thought that was what you wanted?"

"It is."

"Then why sabotage it?"

"Because as much as I want it, I can't do something I don't believe is right to achieve it."

"What's so wrong about it?"

"He was basically asking me to perpetuate and promote your misery and then spy on you as your life situation deteriorated. It was immoral. I couldn't do that to anyone, but I especially couldn't do it to a friend."

"Interesting."

"I especially couldn't do it to you, Hiei."

Hiei smiled.

"Because you're scared of me," he said. "You've heard me threaten you often enough, you feared I would find out and actually kill you."

"No," she replied without hesitation. "It's not that. I really wanted that position on the spirit world council, and had Lord Koenma asked me to spy on anyone else, although I still wouldn't have done it, I think I would have hesitated to act. It was an easy decision with you. I've always had a special place in my heart for you, Hiei. And it's not about pity. I'm not here right now because I pity you. I've always really appreciated your friendship, probably more than anyone else's, because I know you don't consider just anyone to be your friend."

"I've never thought of us as friends before."

"I always have."

Hiei nodded.

"So what will you do now?" he asked.

Botan shrugged.

"I was ordered to carry out this task," she said. "If I do go back, I'll definitely lose out on my chance for a position on the council – no doubt indefinitely – but I suspect I'll also be in a lot of trouble for not doing what was asked of me. And then for telling you all about it."

Hiei nodded.

"I think you should go back," he said.

"I know I probably should," she agreed. "I can at least go back to my duties as a ferry girl. I didn't hate the job, I just didn't think I'd do it forever. But it's not so bad. I can't really think of anything else I could do or anywhere I could go anyway. I don't have the skills or abilities to be anything else."

She smiled, a single tear escaping one eye as she smoothed her hands over the hems of her yukata.

"I can't even stitch a hemline!" she said.

"It's not such an important thing," Hiei muttered.

"But it is embarrassing," Botan replied, meeting his eyes again. "Especially because Masa managed to do this and she doesn't even have proper fingers!"

"Masa didn't stitch your outfit."

"What? But then… Oh… Oh really?"

"Yes."

"So even a ham-fisted snake like Takeo can handle a needle and thread better than I can…"

Hiei sighed in resignation. It was not like his situation could possibly get any more pathetic.

"The thing about the ice maidens and their legendary stitching abilities is that it's not a skill, it's a talent," he said.

Botan looked confused.

"Yes, but I didn't stitch this outfit this way," she said. "I woke up in the morning in the temple we stayed in with Takeo and his gang, and I found it looking this good. Somebody in that temple did it."

She gasped.

"Are you saying there was an ice maiden there?" she asked.

"It's a talent, not a skill," Hiei repeated. "A skill is a learned ability and what they do isn't learned, it's a hereditary talent."

"Okay…"

"It's an indiscriminate, hereditary talent."

"M-hm…"

Hiei sighed.

"It was me, Botan," he confessed. "I stitched it for you. It looked ridiculous and I thought that if I fixed it, it might make you happy."

"You did this?"

She sounded every bit as shocked and disbelieving as Hiei had expected her to.

"Yes," he confirmed.

"But it's so beautiful!" she said.

"Listen, no-one else knows I can do that, so don't go telling everyone, understand?" he snapped.

"But it's such an incredible talent!"

"It's not a skill, it's a talent!"

"I said talent!"

"You did?"

"Yes!"

"Oh."

"Hm."

"Hn."

Hiei tried to ignore how irritated he felt – although it was strangely better to feel angry than to feel as he had earlier, something he had been unable to express – but when Botan took on a sly look, he started to grow concerned.

"It's hereditary?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied.

"How did you discover you could do it?" she asked.

"As a child, I was encouraged to stitch wounds on my fellow bandits. They thought I was better at it because I had smaller hands, but they got suspicious when they saw how impatient I was with other tasks that required me to sit still for any length of time. They started asking me to repair stolen clothing, tapestries and carpets. I didn't think much about it until I saw Kurama stitching something one day and he told me it had taken him years to get as good as he was. He wasn't much better than you."

"And… So you inherited that from your mother?"

"Of course."

"And so Inukasai must have…?"

"Of course."

"So what about Inukasai's son?"

"I don't know. I don't really care, either."

"And what about your children?"

"I can't have children."

"Yes you can. Did you forget?"

Hiei paused. He had forgotten. Amidst the chaos of everything else that had happened since their arrival in Inugoya, he had forgotten what Inukasai had said about the lie the ice maidens had told them both.

"Hn, I suppose time will tell," he concluded.

Botan nodded, but Hiei could not help but notice the way she was trying to chew a smirk off of her face.

"It's not funny," he told her.

"No, it's not," she agreed. "But I feel strange knowing something about you that nobody else does."

"Well, you know the routine: if you tell anyone, I'll have to kill you," Hiei replied.

"Is your sewing talent the only thing that only I know about you?"

Hiei felt a strange feeling wash over him: it was that same feeling he got when Kurama backed him up into a corner during a negotiation, though he could not think why he felt it now.

"I haven't told you anything else about myself," he replied carefully. "Everything else you know you've learned from experiencing it yourself, so it's unlikely you know anything else."

"Really?" Botan asked.

Hiei narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"I suppose you might be the only one outside of the ice village and Takeo's gang who knows that Kuro is my father," he offered.

She nodded and the moment passed: though Hiei suspected that he might not have heard the last of it.

"If you're feeling well enough, we should continue back to the cave we stayed in on the way up here the first time around," he suggested. "It's still a long way from here, but it's a better option than sleeping out here."

"If we do go there tonight, do we have to pass through the evil butterflies and carnivorous flowers in the morning?" she asked.

"Yes," Hiei replied.

"I don't have my oar this time," Botan pointed out. "I don't know how I'll get through."

"They won't come near you this time."

"Because this time I smell bad?"

"No."

Hiei got to his feet and Botan copied his action.

"Because this time you're with me."

She smiled and held out her hand towards him. He nodded and took her hand in his, and together they walked on down the mountain path, soon leaving Inugoya, and everyone there, far behind them.

* * *

Botan stood up and tried to stretch her arms above her head, but found that her muscles were too tense to let her do so.

"It was uncomfortable sleeping on those rocks," she commented when she caught Hiei watching her curiously.

"Well maybe if you hadn't thrown away that bag of crap you made me carry around for so long, you would have still had something to cushion yourself against last night," he said.

Botan shrugged.

"Why did you throw it all away?" he asked. "Or can you still not remember doing that?"

"I threw it away because I thought I was going to die," she casually replied. "I didn't see the point in hanging onto any of it. I was sure I would die, and even if I didn't, it was already too late to go back to spirit world, so none of the things I had seemed significant any more."

"So… You do remember that?"

Botan nodded.

"I don't remember thinking very much, but I think I can remember most of what happened," she said.

"Do you remember what you did?" Hiei asked her.

"I threw a flaming can of spirit world grade bug spray at Kuro then I threw myself at you," she replied. "Hm, I think I made a bit of a mess, and I don't think Kuro survived…"

"Very little of either Kuro or his lair survived what you did."

"Yes, it did cause quite a big explosion. I was worried that I went a bit too far, that I had done something silly – especially because I hadn't really been thinking when I acted – but I also remember you telling me how brave you thought I was, so I think it balances out."

Botan smiled at Hiei. It was still dark in the caves, even though the sun had risen, but even in the poor light she could see that he had turned paler.

"I thought you were unconscious when I said that," he said quietly. "Or at least delirious from Kuro's venom."

"Not yet," Botan answered him. "Luckily for me I stayed conscious just long enough to hear you tell me that you thought my actions were brave."

Hiei grunted and twitched slightly.

"I think you said it was "the bravest thing you'd ever seen anyone do"…"

Botan smiled at Hiei, but he did not look in the least bit amused.

"What else did you hear?" he asked in a low voice.

Botan's face fell. She had been intending to tease him about the compliment he had given her actions back in Doro in the hope of lightening the mood and distracting them both from the road ahead; but instead she found herself remembering the words Hiei had spoken as she had been slipping out of consciousness.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," she said quietly. "And really, I would never criticise you for it: after all, your situation isn't all that different from mine."

"Except it is," he quietly replied. "My situation is real: yours is imagined."

"My situation is not imagined," Botan replied, trying not to sound as indignant as she felt. "I genuinely can't make anyone like me that way!"

"Maybe you've just been looking in all the wrong places and at all the wrong people," Hiei suggested.

"I could say the same to you," Botan pointed out.

Hiei looked as though he would argue the point, but his face suddenly changed, as though something had suddenly occurred to him.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

Botan thought it odd for him to ask such a question at such a time, and so she answered as honestly and literally as she could.

"Sore, hungry and apprehensive about passing the scary flowers and even scarier butterflies again," she said.

"That's cute, but that wasn't the question I asked you," Hiei tersely replied. "I meant after yesterday. After this last week. After everything we've done, everything you've seen and knowing what might lie ahead of you when you return to spirit world. How do you feel about all of that?"

"Oh…"

Botan was surprised that Hiei cared how she felt about all of that, but, not wishing to push him away or offend him upon this rare show of interest in her thoughts and feelings, she took a moment to think before once more answering honestly.

"I'm disappointed," she concluded. "I hoped we would find a solid way to prove that Inukasai was a fraud, but we didn't. It feels like we spent the whole time looking for the truth, but all we found were more and more lies."

"You're really obsessed with the truth, aren't you?" Hiei asked.

"Well yes, I am," Botan replied. "And what made it worse was that the lies we found weren't just about Inukasai, most of them were about you and your life! And we've ended our quest for the truth about Inukasai in one big lie about you! It's not right! I hate it! I hate that we have to live a lie now!"

"Are you still scheming?"

Botan, who had been getting riled up, felt herself falter.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, you always had a plan for what we should do next at every other stop we made in the past week," Hiei replied. "I was curious to know if, now that you've had time to recover from your wounds and rest after the events of last night in Inugoya, I wondered if your scheming brain had conjured up any more crazy ideas."

"You said it was all over," Botan pointed out. "I felt you didn't want to keep trying."

"So you don't have a plan for what to do next?"

"No. But – give me time – I can think of one!"

Botan nodded and smiled enthusiastically, but stopped when Hiei shook his head.

"There's no need for that," he said.

"…Then why did you ask?" Botan muttered.

"I have a plan for what we should do next."

"Really?"

Botan brightened then. Anything was better than going back to spirit world and confronting Koenma – because she already knew she would be unable to stop herself from telling him how cruel his little "social experiment" idea really was – and telling him about how she had lost everything she had taken from spirit world and not done the task she was assigned was sure to anger him.

"There's one more place we can visit," Hiei said. "There's one more truth we can seek out. Not everything we've done on this journey has to end as a lie."

"I like the sound of that," Botan said, nodding her head again.

"Good."

Hiei reached into his pants pocket and produced a small velvet drawstring bag.

"What's that?" Botan asked.

Hiei's face twisted.

"You don't know?" he asked.

She shook her head: she had no idea what it was.

"This is the money you took from spirit world," he reminded her. "How could you forget about something like that?"

"I haven't needed any of it and it seems irrelevant now," she replied with a shrug. "Unless we can use it to bribe useful information out of someone?"

Hiei gripped his fingers into the sack of hirui stones until the drawstring and the stitching began to creak, the entire bag threatening to burst open at any moment.

"You can keep it if you like," Botan offered. "I have no use for it. I'll tell Lord Koenma I spent it all. He'll believe me. Captain Ootake will tell him it was because I didn't understand the concept of "bartering"."

Hiei's hand relaxed.

"I'm not going to keep it," he said. "We're going to spend it."

"Okay," Botan said slowly.

"We're going to go on a little trip somewhere to correct one of the lies that is bothering you, and in order to do that, we're going to need to spend some of this money."

"Okay."

"The journey to our next destination isn't a long one, but it is a difficult one."

"All of our destinations so far have been difficult ones."

"Are you ready to go then?"

"I'm hungry, but I can wait to eat. I'd rather find the truth."

"Well this next journey isn't exactly going to serve up the entire crop of apples you probably want, but it will at least find us one apple, and there aren't so many snakes blocking the way to this apple."

Botan smiled.

"You listen to the things I say!" she said cheerfully.

"Yes, I do," Hiei replied. "Let's go."

He slid the bag of money back into his pocket and held out his hand – still with his palm down, Botan noticed – and she smiled and accepted his offer, taking his hand in hers. Hiei guided Botan through the network of caves and back to the pretty corridor of purple flowers overhanging a fence-lined pathway. She was glad to see the butterflies were not there, but the flowers looked as suspiciously serene as they had before, and they were just as numerous as before. They started down the path and Botan edged closer to Hiei on instinct, peering up fearfully at the flowers as they passed. The occasional flowerhead opened up, baring fangs and hissing, but none of the flowers actually tried to attack; and it was only when they reached the other end of the path and Botan released a sigh of relief did she realise how tense she had been. She released Hiei's hand while he picked open the vines covering the opening in the rockface and then followed him through when he was done. On the other side they were in a fairly neutral part of demon world, but being there felt slightly depressing, and Botan was glad that Hiei was taking her on one last mission, as she could not help but associate her current location with a return to spirit world and the end of her adventure.

A part of her never wanted to go back: despite her time in demon world having been based on a negative event and situation that had only worsened as she had continued, it had still been more exhilarating than anything she had ever done in spirit world or the living world.

"This way," Hiei said when he was done concealing the exit behind them.

He was pointing in the opposite direction to the one that Botan knew led back the way they had initially arrived from, and that brightened her mood. She took Hiei's hand and they walked on for some time longer in silence, the surroundings becoming increasingly serene and picturesque, until Botan began to wonder if they had left demon world altogether. They passed through an orchard and scrambled up a rocky incline before reaching a ridge in the land, where Hiei finally stopped. The sun was high in the sky, and the scene below and ahead of them was comprised of meadows of flowers surrounding a very specific style of temple, behind which was a rock garden with a water fountain and a few ponds, all lovingly maintained.

"It's so pretty here," Botan said.

"This is it," Hiei replied. "This is our destination. This is the place where we can turn one of the lies into a truth."

Botan looked down at the temple again, feeling a slightly fluttering in her chest as she recognised what the very specific style of the temple represented: and, as though to vanquish any remaining doubt that may have lingered in her mind, the owner of the temple stepped out onto the porch and looked up at them, waving an arm in greeting. The fluttering in her chest intensified when Hiei raised his free hand, holding it up by his head until the owner of the temple ceased waving and started down the porch steps.

"You said that, although it was something you've always wanted, you didn't have a clear idea of how it should be," Hiei said. "I thought that was strange, because although it's not something I've ever expected to happen in my life, I do have a clear idea of how it should be."

Botan turned to fully face Hiei and he copied her action.

"I hope you don't mind, but I didn't bother inviting Yusuke or Kurama," Hiei said. "But we don't need them here. The monk will perform the ceremony and he is the witness."

Botan nodded her understanding, words failing her as her emotions began to get the better of her.

"You did mention something about a dress you wanted everyone to see, but hopefully the one you have on will suffice," Hiei added.

"It's so beautiful here…" Botan eventually managed to say.

She tilted her head slightly as the raccoon demon who had noticed their approach finally reached them and began flinging flower petals at them from a wicker basket he had hooked over the crook of one arm.

"The monk here is a little eccentric, but he's entirely benign and he is very discreet," Hiei said.

Botan nodded, turning back to face Hiei again.

"So," he said, that strange look appearing on his face again. "Are you ready to find the truth in one of our lies?"

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Botan and Hiei keep telling people they're married, but it's not a lie any more, Yusuke and Kurama discuss what happened in Inugoya, and after a honeymoon that really only lasts one day, Hiei and Botan realise they must return home and confront Mukuro and Koenma respectively. **Chapter 22 – The Truth of the Lie**

 **A/N:** I don't know if anyone thought Hiei was going to say what he did to Yukina, I wasn't sure if I'd made it obvious or not (I tried not to by deliberately being vague and ambiguous when telling the story from Hiei's point of view). I sort of feel like if this chapter was a surprise, the next two or three chapters will be shocking by comparison… This is a slightly bittersweet story…


	22. The Truth of the Lie

**Chapter 22 – The Truth of the Lie**

"So: are you ready to find the truth in one of our lies?"

Botan nodded her head.

"It was the only lie I liked," she said. "Not just now, but ever. It was the best lie ever."

Hiei nodded and together he and Botan turned towards the racoon demon, who, upon gaining their undivided attention, began more frnatically throwing the flower petals he had been throwing at them since Hiei had waved to him.

"Welcome, welcome!" he said.

"You can wind back the over-enthusiasm, we're not forbidden lovers here on a whim in the hope of defying our parents," Hiei told him.

"Are you sure?" the monk asked. "I know an eloping young couple when I see them, you know!"

Hiei's face fell and Botan smiled darkly.

"I killed his father on the way here," Botan said.

The monk paused, a handful of petals frittering to the ground ahead of him. As she saw the look of awkward surprise on his face, Botan thought that perhaps she ought not have said what she just had: and, before her time in demon world with Hiei, she was sure that she would not have said such a thing. But, when she saw Hiei smile up at her appreciatively, any doubt vanished from her mind and she started to smile too.

"Well then," the monk said, his tone considerably more sombre. "I don't have anything else scheduled for today, so why don't you both follow me and we can get started?"

Botan hesitated to follow the monk as he started back towards the temple and Hiei looked up at her expectantly.

"I like the feeling of walking through meadows in my bare feet," she explained as she unhooked her sandals.

Hiei said nothing, but as he did not look especially concerned, Botan finished her task and then together they walked on. The air was strangely light and pleasant for demon world: though Botan suspected that was because the sweet scent of the flowers in the meadow was counteracting the more typically sour smell to be found in most parts of the realm. But, with the light and sweet air, the radiant sunlight in a surprisingly clear red sky, the sound of the breeze rustling through the flowers in the meadow and the plants of the temple garden and in the presence of the very well-maintained temple itself, Botan did feel as though she was a world away from Doro. It was hard to believe that they were still in demon world at all: which made it all the more unusual to Botan that this particular location had been Hiei's choice.

It was true that she had never actually thought about what sort of wedding ceremony she wanted if the lucky day were ever to arrive, but she was sure that her own imagination could not have picked out a setting more perfect than the one she found herself in. She supposed that part of the reason it was so wonderful was because someone else had chosen it and surprised her with it, as she had never even thought that someone else might do something so thoughtful; least of all Hiei.

As they reached the temple entrance the monk stopped and turned to face them, holding up his arms dramatically, the basket – still hooked on one of his arms – riding up to his armpit.

"Would you like to have the ceremony indoors or outdoors?" he asked.

"Outdoors," Botan and Hiei replied in unison.

Botan turned to Hiei and smiled, and she was almost certain he was smiling too. It was just like that thing Nanako had said back in the ice village, she thought: they were a proper couple because they understood each other's way of thinking without the need for words.

"Then follow me!" the monk said, turning and starting around the side of the temple.

Botan and Hiei followed him on again, through a pergola and into the garden beyond. He led them to the largest of the garden ponds and finally stopped by the water's edge. Botan peered down at the pond, which just missed looking beautiful on account of the fact that the water was reflecting the red light of the sky, making it look like a pool of blood, the image only softened by the presence of the lilies littered across the water's surface.

When Hiei started to move, Botan copied his actions, moving a little stiffly as she was unsure what he was doing and what was expected of her; but soon they were both kneeling by the waters' edge, facing each other with the water to one side of them and the monk to the other.

"Would you like to start straight away?" the monk asked.

"I think that was already implied by how rapidly we came to this point," Hiei sarcastically replied.

"Alright then," the monk said, unfazed by Hiei's retort. "Join hands."

Botan held out her hands and Hiei took them, and she noticed something then that she never had before, which left her wondering if she had just witnessed the first occurrence of it or if it had always happened but she had missed it as she had never been looking directly at Hiei's face when he had taken hold of her hand: as their hands touched, she saw a slight but distinct flicker of a smile lift the corners of his mouth.

"At this point, I have to ask if you would like me to lead with a traditional set of vows or if you have prepared your own?" the monk asked.

Botan started to tell him that the former was their only option, as they had not had time to prepare anything – but she stopped short when Hiei spoke over with a contradictory response.

"We have our own vows to recite."

"We do?"

Hiei gave Botan an almost scolding look, but she was confused (and slightly worried) as to when she was meant to have prepared vows for their spur-of-the-moment wedding and so she barely noticed.

"Yes, we do," Hiei said, his words slow and deliberate.

"Okay..." Botan began slowly.

She looked first at the monk, who was smiling and nodding at her encouragingly, before returning her attention to Hiei, who was watching her with a vaguely determined version of the odd look he had been giving her so much since Inukasai's arrival.

"Well, um," she tried. "Do I have to be formal, or can I use my own words?"

She looked up at the monk again and he nodded more enthusiastically.

"Just speak from the heart, child," he said, waving a paw at her encouragingly.

"And I have to go first?" she asked, turning back to Hiei.

"Yes," he flatly replied.

She nodded, trying not to panic as her mind drained of all thoughts except for her awareness of how quiet it was and how intently Hiei was staring at her.

"Just use my own words...?" she said weakly.

"Yes," Hiei and the monk replied in unison.

"Well, being here today is a surprise for me," she began. "And not just because we didn't really plan this very long in advance, but also because there was a time – a time that lasted up until about some time earlier this morning – actually, a time that lasted up until about ten minutes ago – when I didn't really think that my heart would ever know love. Although I've given a lot of love, I never really felt that I'd received any love, and now – now that I have spent some time with Hiei, and watched all the difficult trials he has faced and overcome, and gotten to know more about his past and his life – I realise that I had never really given love before, because I had never felt the things that I do now. And the things that I feel now are that I feel happy and a part of something special and connected to another, beautiful, soul, and I feel like I could do anything – like deal with a group of the most interfering ice maidens ever, or spend a night in a desecrated temple with a gang of the rudest bandits ever, or even go to the creepiest town ever and overthrow the thoroughly evil man who thought he ran it – I feel like I could do any of those things a thousand times over, just so long as I have Hiei at my side. And I guess I didn't really appreciate that I felt that way until we got here, to this lovely little temple with this lovely garden and that lovely meadow of flowers and this lovely lake – I suppose I didn't really realise that this last week of my life has been so wonderful not because I was doing something different, but because I was with someone special. I've never had the chance to be alone with Hiei before, but now it seems silly that we never spent time alone together before now, and even though we set out to tackle a terrible problem and faced lots of difficult obstacles along the way and things didn't really turn out the way they should have, everything that did happen only made me appreciate even more what a truly honourable and selfless soul Hiei is."

"These aren't vows Miss, you're just speaking whatever thoughts enter your mind," the monk pointed out. "Would you like me to lead the ceremony?"

"Shut up and let her finish," Hiei snapped at him.

The monk nodded and took a step back and Botan once more found her mind going blank – it was just like what happened to her whenever she was thrust into a situation that required instant action – she could not even remember any of what she had already said.

"I suppose what I was trying to say," she began. "Was just that I've spent what now seems like a silly amount of time and effort looking for what I thought I needed, and all that time, everything I needed was all right here. In Hiei. And I just wish I'd realised that sooner. I'm not really sure at what exact moment I realised that I loved Hiei, but I know that now, in this moment, I love him more than I've ever loved anyone, and I started this week thinking that I didn't want to go back home because I'd be in trouble for defying an order and because I'd lost faith in the morals of my employer and because I'd never get the job I wanted, but now I know that I don't want to go home because I've felt more involved and more fulfilled and more challenged – and just more alive I guess – in this week than I ever have. I thought I knew what I wanted in love and in life but I suppose this week I learned that what I thought I wanted would never have made me happy the same way that being here with Hiei does. So I'm marrying Hiei because this is where I belong and this is what makes me happy and because I love him."

Botan nodded at the monk, who turned to Hiei expectantly. Botan turned to Hiei then, curious to hear what he would say; after all, speaking their own vows had been his idea, so presumably he had something he wanted to say.

"I just needed to know that you weren't doing this because you pitied me," he said quietly as their eyes met. "And I just needed you to know that I'm not doing this to spite spirit world or because I wasn't thinking clearly after what happened back in Inugoya. I'm doing this because I'm sure that it's the right thing to do. This was the easiest lie I ever told and one that felt too right to be just an alibi."

"That's very sweet, Hiei," Botan said, smiling warmly at him.

"I disagree, but I find your insistence on romanticising minor matters somewhat less irritating than I did before, so I will indulge you this once," Hiei replied.

Botan's smile widened.

"Just don't make a habit of romanticising things I do or say," he warned.

Botan nodded and tried to look serious, though she struggled to hide her joy.

"Then in that case, the ceremony is complete," the monk announced. "Rise as husband and wife!"

Hiei started to stand a second ahead of Botan, who hesitated only because the actuality of her situation dawned on her as the monk began hurling petals at her with a little too much fervour. She quickly found her feet however and she blinked back her tears and linked her arm through Hiei's, allowing him to guide her back through the gardens and towards the temple. They paused at a veranda whilst the monk took their photograph and his payment and then, after throwing the remainder of his basket-load of petals, the monk bid them good day and slunk into his temple out of sight. Hiei and Botan continued walking back to the edges of the meadow before pausing there as Botan replaced her shoes.

"What's the correct procedure now?" she asked as she finished her task. "Do we have a celebration?"

"I don't like excessively loud social gatherings," Hiei replied.

"I do, but I'm not sure who I'd even invite to one should I decide to throw one now..." Botan mused.

"We could just advance to the next part of the ceremony."

"The day is still so early."

"Does that bother you?"

Botan paused, her face slowly scrunching up. She turned to look at Hiei, the vaguely predatory look on his face doing little to ease her mounting confusion and creeping concern.

"What exactly is the next part of the ceremony?" she asked. "I thought it was just the ceremony here at the temple and then a party with all the guests."

"And then the night."

Botan's face twisted further.

"It's still morning, Hiei," she reminded him.

Hiei turned slightly more towards Botan, and in that moment, she understood exactly what he had been implying.

"The wedding night...?" she said quietly.

Hiei did not answer her, but he did not really need to, as she already knew that was what he was referring to. In an instant a range of concerns raced through her mind, most of which revolved around the fact that she and Hiei were standing outdoors, and the only indoor location she could see was the temple they had just left; but, as quickly as her mind had filled with questions, it emptied of them all again as Hiei edged just marginally closer to her and she found herself rounding on him and reaching for him. She did not really see him respond, but she shortly found herself locked into an almost painfully crushing embrace, and pressing her mouth against his in a clumsy and hungry kiss that was not brief enough to be a light gesture nor long enough to be a truly passionate act.

"That was, um..." Botan began as she drew out of the moment.

"It's okay," Hiei said.

"It is?" she asked, looking at him worriedly.

He nodded.

"We have plenty of time to get better at it."

Botan slowly nodded, a smile slowly spreading across her face as she realised exactly what he meant.

"Even though we have plenty of time, we should probably start straight away," she suggested.

"I like the way your mind works," Hiei replied.

Botan grinned.

"I don't understand the way your mind works," Hiei added. "But I do like it."

He took Botan's hand in his and turned, guiding her away from the temple path. She was not really sure where he was taking her to, but as it was to start their next adventure – the adventure of their marriage – she simply followed him on.

* * *

Kurama patiently allowed Yusuke to drag him, by the sleeve, around the corner of a hut on the edge of Inugoya, as he could tell by the mazoku's tense, agitated body language that his thoughts were cemented on the same subject that Kurama's own mind had been rooted in since the night before.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?" Yusuke hissed once they were around the back of the hut and out of sight and earshot of the group they had left back at the centre of the village.

"I don't know, Yusuke," Kurama replied, tugging his sleeve from Yusuke's grasp. "I'm as confused as you are, I assure you."

Yusuke looked less than pleased with Kurama's response, and so the fox demon continued.

"I don't understand what happened last night," he said. "I certainly wasn't expecting Hiei to arrive the way he did, and I could not have predicted that he would do what he did."

"Didn't you tell him to do what he did?" Yusuke asked, his expression become accusatory.

"No, I didn't," Kurama smoothly replied.

"Uh, yeah, you kinda did!" Yusuke snapped back. "Don't you remember? Back on that first day we went to see Inukasai at Kuwabara's house? In the kitchen? You told Hiei he had to tell Yukina the truth or else hand back her hiruiseki!"

"Yes, I told him he ought to confess the truth or else do as Yukina had asked: I did not suggest that he hand back the hirui stone and tell Yukina that he accepted Inukasai as her brother."

"Then why did he do it?"

"I don't know."

"Is it true? Did he somehow find out Yukina isn't really his sister?"

"I don't know, Yusuke."

"Has he been watching over the wrong girl this whole time?"

"I don't know."

"So what happened to Hiei's real sister? And why did he not know Yukina wasn't his real sister before now? And why was Botan with him?"

"Yusuke!"

Yusuke stopped short, looking directly at Kurama.

"I don't know," Kurama said firmly.

"Right…" Yusuke sighed. "The whole thing just feels weird, don't you think?"

"Something, somewhere, is very amiss," Kurama agreed. "But I cannot even speculate as to what it may be."

"Right."

Yusuke leaned back to peer around the corner of the building and Kurama stepped back to copy his action, looking back towards the centre of the village, where Yukina and Sosoinu were fussing over the new baby and Kuwabara and Inukasai were retrieving water from the well whilst laughing and joking between themselves.

"I guess you were right about Hiei needing to do something though," Yusuke concluded.

Kurama turned to him with a questioning look.

"You said this would happen, right?" Yusuke explained as he noticed the way Kurama was looking at him. "You said Inukasai would just become Yukina's brother if Hiei didn't do something about it quickly. So I guess that now maybe… Maybe he really is her brother."

Kurama did not answer Yusuke, instead turning his attention back to Inukasai. Whilst there was no denying that Inukasai was an emiko born of the ice village and that he had bonded with Yukina and Kuwabara, something about the timing of his arrival still seemed suspicious somehow; and so even though Yukina, Kuwabara and now even Yusuke had accepted Inukasai as Yukina's brother, Kurama chose to reserve judgement on the matter for the time being.

* * *

Hiei awoke to a piercing sound, grunting in irritation as it continued to chirp away. When the sound did not desist after its third trill, Hiei kicked a foot towards the source of the sound, his bare heel colliding with a pile of clothing. The noise continued and Hiei slowly opened his eyes, looking about himself to assess the situation: he was bundled up in a tree hollow, every part of his body entangled with every part of the sleeping ferry girl's body, and their clothing was splayed about the opening of the hollow and the forest floor beyond.

Hiei slowly and carefully unwound himself from Botan before sitting up and grabbing a hand at the yukata she had shed. He lifted it up and shook it until the source of the noise fell out, landing on the ground and finally silencing. At first, it seemed unreasonable that something so flimsy could have made such an offensive noise, but, as he leaned forwards and noticed the spirit world emblem decorating the circular cover of the device, Hiei realised he was looking at one of the communication mirrors the ferry girl used to maintain contact with Koenma and Yusuke. Looking at it and considering that it had just been making noise, Hiei concluded that it was probably an indication that someone was trying to reach Botan for some reason or another. He doubted Yusuke still carried one of the devices, which meant it had probably been Koenma calling: and that thought only reminded Hiei that Botan was supposed to be on a mission on behalf of spirit world. It had been his intention to spend a few days longer living inside the riddles of his new wife's mind – a habit he had discovered was surprisingly relaxing despite its illogical absurdity – before setting about tidying up the loose ends of his own life; but if spirit world were going to pester Botan to return, he would have to review his plans.

When the device started chirping again, Hiei glanced back over his shoulder at Botan, at first amazed that she could sleep through the disturbance and then relieved when she did, as a part of him did not really want to know why spirit world were harassing her. He flicked a hand at the device, intending to knock it into a pile of clothing to help muffle the noise it was making; but as it bounced away, it flipped open, landing facedown on the ground just short of the pile clothes Hiei had been aiming it at. He was not really sure if he had broken the device, but when he heard a voice speaking from it, he realised he had in fact activated it.

"Hello?" a female voice spoke out of the device. "Botan, are you there? I can't see anything, the screen doesn't appear to be working…"

Hiei held his breath: the last thing he wanted to have to do was have a conversation with someone from spirit world.

"Botan, I don't know if you can hear me," the voice continued. "It's Ayame. I can't see or hear you, but if you can hear me, I need you to know that Lord Koenma is looking for you. He said you were supposed to report to him yesterday and you didn't return to spirit world at all. He's worried, but he's also quite mad. Botan, if you can hear me, you need to get back to spirit world as quickly as you can. The longer you leave it, the more angry he'll get and the worse your punishment will be."

Hiei glanced at Botan again, finding her still blissfully asleep, her shorn hair looking oddly flattering curled around her features.

"The council are having a meeting tomorrow, you should come back here before that happens," the voice added. "If you don't, and your absence is noted at that meeting, you may find that you have to explain yourself to higher powers than just Lord Koenma when you do return."

Hiei rolled his eyes.

"Take care, Botan."

There was a small blipping sound and then silence. Hiei cautiously poked at the communicator, rolling it over and peering at the darkened screen until he was sure there was not someone hiding on the other end of the line before turning to Botan. As he watched her sleep, the thought occurred to him that whoever had just called was clearly not as concerned for Botan's best interests as she had claimed to be, as all she had spoken about was that Botan ought to return to appease the rulers of spirit world: at no point did she ask if Botan herself was alright or if there was a reason she had been unable to return that maybe meant she required help. It was so typical of the culture of spirit world – it was exactly what they had done with Yusuke and even Sensui – that they hired souls and sent them to work in dangerous situations and then refused to take any blame when something went awry. It was surprising that Botan had come from such an environment, because she herself had shown that she invested most of her energy into ensuring those around her were protected.

Hiei sighed.

"Botan, you better wake up," he said. "We have to move on."

"I'm so glad you said that."

Hiei's face fell as Botan sat up, looking unusually bright for someone who had just awoken.

"I have a plan!" she said as he met her eyes.

He took a moment to consider just how endless the optimism sparkling in her fuchsia eyes actually was before allowing his eyes to wander lower. She took a moment to follow his gaze before hurriedly bending her legs up to her chest and hugging her arms protectively around her shins.

"As soon as I find my clothes, I have a plan," she added, grinning bashfully.

Hiei almost wanted to know what Botan's plan was, but the image of her communicator on the edge of his vision reminded him that they both had responsibilities they had to return to and someone they had to answer to before they could even consider any more wild plans of "truth seeking".

"You'll have to put it on hold," he said. "We need to get you back to spirit world and I need to report back to Mukuro."

"That's exactly what my plan was!" Botan replied.

"Your plan was for us to go back to our everyday lives?" Hiei asked.

"Yes!" Botan replied.

Hiei frowned.

"I don't understand why you find that prospect so exciting…" he admitted.

"Because we're going to tell them all the truth," she replied.

Hiei felt even more confused than before, but tried to hide it as best he could.

"We're going to tell them that we're married, we're going to sort out any animosity between you and Mukuro and I'm going to tell Lord Koenma exactly what I think about the mission he set me," Botan continued. "Which I realise is something I should have done right at the start – though if I had told the prince of spirit world that his plan was disgusting, he probably would have refused to let me come here to help out, so maybe things worked out for the best as they are…"

"What's the worst thing that could happen when you tell Koenma that you didn't complete your mission?" Hiei asked.

Botan shrugged, the look on her face suggesting she was far less concerned about her potential fate than Hiei was.

"Don't you care?" he asked.

"Not really," she replied. "I did at first, but things are different now. I don't care what happens now because I know I did the right thing."

Hiei nodded.

"Then perhaps we should go to Alaric first," he said. "I have a fair idea of what my fate will be and it should at least be quicker than whatever awaits you in spirit world."

Botan nodded, still looking very calm, but Hiei was quite tense, unable to escape the thought that either direction they went next brought difficulties that he lacked the patience to deal with. Going to spirit world meant having to stay calm as Koenma discussed the little "mission" he had dreamt up and sent Botan on and going to Alaric meant having to stay calm as Mukuro berated him for "sulking"; and potentially for derailing a patrol unit, if she had somehow managed to find out about his actions over the past few days.

It was ironic that his disagreement with Mukuro had started because he had been wrongly accused of attacking a patrol unit and now he had actually interfered with a unit's duties, albeit not by force.

"Oh look, my communication mirror is open."

Hiei watched as Botan crawled forwards to retrieve the spirit world device, retreating back into the tree hollow at his side and turning the item over in her hands a few times before shrugging her shoulders and snapping it shut. She then looked at Hiei again, smiling gently, her face still suggesting she was the most carefree soul in demon world at that moment. He also noticed then that she had not bothered to try to hide herself as she had when she had first woken up and realised that she was completely naked before his eyes. Hiei thought about reminding her of that fact, but the thought of doing so reminded him that he was in a similar state himself, and, unlike Botan, he had not even attempted to hide himself at any point.

"Yesterday was…" he began.

"Lovely," she suggested.

"I was going to say awkward," he replied.

"Maybe, but it was lovely nonetheless," she said.

"They say it gets better with…"

"Practice?"

"Right and it's better with someone you…"

"Love?"

"Right and it gets better when you learn more about your…"

"Partner?"

"And their…"

"Desires?"

"Right."

Botan smiled and nodded and continued to look far more pleased with herself than the situation seemed to warrant. Hiei glanced out at their clothing on the forest floor, but his attention was quickly brought back to the ferry girl as she shivered in an overly dramatic manner.

"I feel a little chilly now," she said.

"It's probably because you're not wearing anything," Hiei pointed out.

"I think it's because of the loss of body heat," she said.

"Which is because you're not wearing anything," he reminded her.

"I need to warm up a little before I get dressed and move on."

"I thought you said you were always too hot on ground level in demon world."

"I think we should hug for a little while."

Hiei paused, feeling slightly embarrassed to have taken so long to understand what his new wife was implying. He turned to fully face her, finding that the cheerful, optimistic sparkle in her eyes had taken on a vaguely sly glint.

"Is hugging all you want to do?" he asked.

"I was just thinking I wanted to warm up a bit," Botan ambiguously replied, feigning innocence.

"Hn."

Hiei decided to stop talking – after all, persuasive conversation was an area where Botan was more skilled than he was – and instead he leaned towards her. She did not hesitate to respond, and together they sunk into each other in the shade of the tree hollow.

* * *

Mukuro's fortress looked smaller than Hiei remembered it to. The interior hallways were as dark and mysterious as always, but they had lost some of their charm somehow. And, walking down the hallways with Botan at his side, Hiei felt like a stranger in a place he had thought was his home; making him glad when they finally reached Mukuro's quarters, where he did not even bother pausing to knock on the door, instead simply pushing it open and entering the room. Beyond the door, Mukuro was reclining in her oversized chair, a position she did not move from until Hiei took another step into the room and brought Botan into her line of sight. As the ferry girl stepped into the room, her eyes and mouth wide as she looked about herself, Mukuro slowly sat forwards, her curiosity unusually obvious in her features.

"I'm back," Hiei announced as the door swung shut behind them and Botan gave a small yelp of surprise at the sound.

"So I see," Mukuro replied. "And you brought a friend."

"She's my wife," he said.

"Yes, I am his wife," Botan said, sounding almost ridiculously proud. "My name's Botan. It's lovely to finally meet you face to face, Mukuro."

Mukuro sat back, her curiosity turned into surprise.

"Hiei, I didn't even know you were involved with a woman," she said.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, apparently," Hiei spat back bitterly.

Mukuro nodded.

"And there's a lot you don't know about too, Hiei," she said. "A few things have come to light in your absence. Take a seat and I'll explain."

Botan moved to sit down, but Hiei held his position, and she was shortly forced to stop as her hand caught on his.

"Sit down, Hiei," Mukuro insisted. "This is information you're going to want to hear. It regards Inukasai."

Hiei's initial rush of pride subsided upon hearing Mukuro speak the name of the irksome emiko: the very fact that she knew his name proved that she had been investigating him as she ought to have been, and so he decided to temporarily put aside his need to remind her how out of order her behaviour had been the day she had accused him of committing Inukasai's rogue actions against the border patrol. He relaxed enough to allow Botan to guide him to a chair, where he tensely sat down and Botan quietly sat at his side.

"After you left, I continued studying the recording of the other emiko," Mukuro began. "I asked some of my agents to find out who he was, and, two days later, I received more footage of him as he moved around demon world. I traced his origin to Inugoya, and from there it was ridiculously easy finding out who he was: dog demons aren't exactly famous for their discretion, and none of them were slow in talking about that one member of their clan who isn't inbred and entirely tactless."

"What's your point?" Hiei asked tersely.

"I haven't gotten to it yet," Mukuro flatly replied. "After I found out who he was, it was even easier to trace his movements. He seems to have lived a surprisingly clean life – by demon world standards, the boy is virtually a saint – but there is one thing I discovered about him that is highly suspicious."

"Excuse me," Botan said, sitting forwards. "I'm sorry to interrupt Mukuro, but did you say you were able to find things out about Inukasai?"

Mukuro gave Botan a long hard look before turning her attention back to Hiei.

"I didn't know you were involved with a woman," she said again.

"I've been involved with this woman for a number of years," Hiei smoothly replied.

"You've never mentioned her before," Mukuro pointed out.

"I didn't think I needed to," Hiei said.

Mukuro gave Botan another scrutinising look.

"She seems a little fresh," she concluded.

"Leave her out of this," Hiei warned.

"It just seems odd that you've never mentioned her before," Mukuro replied.

"I don't like discussing my personal affairs with others," Hiei reminded her.

"How long have the two of you been married?"

"That's not important."

"I wasn't asking you."

Hiei gave a small, involuntary, growl of irritation as Mukuro purposefully turned her head towards Botan.

"How long have the two of you been married?" she asked again.

"Not long," Botan replied. "But we have known each other for many years."

Mukuro studied her for a moment longer before slowly moving her eyes to Hiei again.

"As I was saying, there was one thing about Inukasai that was suspicious," she said.

"We could have just come here to find out about Inukasai's past!" Botan whispered to Hiei.

"I can still hear you," Mukuro told her.

"I'm sorry," Botan apologised. "It's just that we went to great lengths to investigate him, I had no idea you could find things out about him for us."

"Maybe if your husband hadn't been sulking with me he might have thought to ask me to help you find out about Inukasai," Mukuro answered her.

"Just get to the point," Hiei cut in. "Tell us what you know – although I doubt it will be anything we haven't already discovered for ourselves."

"I doubt that," Mukuro abruptly replied. "Because what I have to tell you relates specifically to Inukasai's attack on the patrol unit."

Hiei resisted the urge to sigh. He was far beyond caring about Inukasai's attack on the patrol unit: something that, despite having happened quite recently and been the one event that had marked the beginning of the situation Hiei found himself in, seemed to have happened a long time ago and seemed oddly insignificant.

"Inukasai spent nine days in that area before he launched his attack," Mukuro continued. "During that time he had several opportunities to pass through the portal undetected or else to confront one of the other passing units, but he didn't make his move until my weakest guard unit passed him. It was like he knew when to attack, when he would have the upperhand: and I don't know where he would get information like that."

"Well it wasn't from me," Hiei bluntly replied.

"I know it wasn't," Mukuro calmly answered. "You think every unit you are not a part of is weak. You can't be relied upon to pick out which unit is actually the weakest unit. That's information that very few are privy to."

"Why should I care about any of this?" Hiei asked.

"Because it means Inukasai is as sneaky as we always knew he was!" Botan replied. "He must have stolen that information!"

"That's ridiculous and impossible," Hiei told her.

"It's not entirely wrong," Mukuro said, much to Hiei's chagrin. "It's not information that should be shared with someone like Inukasai and anyone who knows the information knows that. Either Inukasai managed to somehow steal the information, or there is a rat somewhere, leaking information."

"I still don't really care," Hiei said.

"I suppose it's not really important," Botan agreed. "We know Inukasai is not as squeaky clean as he pretended to be, but finding out that he stole information or was bribing an informant isn't really helpful."

"The fact that he targeted the weakest unit merely shows that he thinks the same way most residents of demon world do," Hiei added. "It was too risky for him to pass through between units, so he waited for the weakest group so that he could guarantee his passage to the living world."

"Yes, and, just like every other sneaky evil thing he did, he got off with that scot free too," Botan said.

"And that's the next interesting thing I have to tell you."

Hiei and Botan turned fully towards Mukuro.

"I can't arrest Inukasai for what he did," she told them.

"Because he's so pathetic, it would be too cruel on the other prisoners to place him alongside them?" Hiei asked sarcastically.

"No," Mukuro dryly replied. "If you would shut your mouth and open your ears for just a minute, I could tell you the reason why: and believe me, you are going to want to hear this."

Hiei faltered slightly and Botan almost fell off the edge of her seat as she leaned forwards a little too enthusiastically. A hint of an amused smile graced Mukuro's lips before she delivered the last answer Hiei could possibly have guessed she might give.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Mukuro explains why she has been unable to arrest Inukasai, and, with his quibble with Mukuro sorted, Hiei travels to spirit world with Botan, where she confront Koenma and they discuss her failure to do what was asked of her and what the consequences will be. **Chapter 23 – Status Quo**


	23. Status Quo

**Chapter 23 – Status Quo**

"I can't arrest Inukasai for what he did."

Botan baulked.

"Because he's so pathetic, it would be too cruel on the other prisoners to place him alongside them?" Hiei asked sarcastically.

"No," Mukuro dryly replied. "If you would shut your mouth and open your ears for just a minute, I could tell you the reason why: and believe me, you are going to want to hear this."

Botan shot forwards, her already highly titivated sense of curiosity reaching dizzying new heights, almost falling off the edge of her seat in her zeal. Mukuro smiled – something Botan had not expected her to ever do, least of all at such a moment – before continuing to explain herself.

"I was given an order from King Enki himself not to arrest that boy," she said. "He said Inukasai, and anyone associated with him in any way, was beyond reproach. Inukasai, his father, his wife, his son and anyone else who is related to him in anyway, are all protected by the highest possible authorities of demon world and not even I can touch them. Don't you think that's incredibly odd? Why does Enki care so much about an emiko raised by dogs?"

Botan pouted. Hiei looked horrified, but she just felt sick.

"This is so typical!" she complained. "We gave him what he wanted, and he's still mocking us! We'll never be free of his sleazy sneakiness!"

"No other demon in all of demon world is afforded such protection," Mukuro said. "Countless other demons – both before and since Inukasai – who had illegally passed through portals to the living world have paid for their crime with their lives. What makes Inukasai so special?"

"He's horrible, Mukuro!" Botan replied. "You'd have to meet him to know exactly what I mean, he just talks his way into everything! He's so particular and his manners are so false and he's so fake! I despise him!"

Mukuro gave Botan a strange look and the ferry girl suddenly remembered exactly who she was sounding off to.

"Do you really hate Inukasai as much as you claim to?" Mukuro asked her. "Or are you just taking his actions and attitude as a personal insult because of all the trouble he has caused for your husband?"

Botan nervously fiddled with the hem of the yukata Hiei had fixed for her.

"A little of both," she quietly admitted. "I hate him because he's a sneaky liar and he's too much, but I mostly hate him because he tried to ruin Hiei's life."

Mukuro nodded.

"It's reassuring to know you have Hiei's best interests at heart, but are also not a mindless fool," she said.

"Thank you…?" Botan faintly replied.

"Do you know he can sew?" Mukuro asked.

Hiei growled.

"Yes, I do!" Botan replied, her fear and humility forgotten in an instant.

"Did he sew that for you?" Mukuro asked, pointing loosely at Botan's yukata. "It looks like his handiwork."

"Yes he did!" Botan replied. "Isn't it lovely?"

"He does good work," Mukuro said. "He stitched a wound on one of my men so well, it healed twice as fast as it would normally have."

"Isn't it incredible?"

"Stop it!" Hiei barked.

"But Hiei," Botan complained. "We're just so proud of you and–"

"Stop," Hiei warned her.

Botan pulled her most endearing cat face possible and pawed at the air. Hiei glanced over at Mukuro, who was giving Botan a strange look: but the ferry girl was too distracted in her attempts to appease Hiei to notice.

"Can I assume you'll be returning to duty soon?" Mukuro asked after a several seconds of Botan purring at Hiei.

"I have some other matters to attend to first," Hiei answered her.

"Yes, that's right!" Botan said, snapping out of her cat mode. "We have to visit Enki and ask him why he's protecting that cad Inukasai!"

"No, we have to return to spirit world so that you can explain yourself to Koenma," Hiei reminded her.

"Spirit world?" Mukuro echoed. "You married a woman from spirit world?"

"I'll be back eventually," Hiei said, standing up from his seat.

"She's from spirit world?" Mukuro asked.

"After I've spoken to Lord Koenma, we really should visit Enki," Botan said, standing up at Hiei's side.

"You married a woman from spirit world and now you're going to see the prince of spirit world with her?" Mukuro asked.

"I don't really see the point," Hiei said to Botan. "Do you really want to torture yourself by listening to yet another mouth tell you how wonderful Inukasai is?"

"Does Koenma know you married this girl?" Mukuro asked.

"Maybe we could find something else out," Botan insisted. "I still maintain we've missed something."

"And I told you, it's over now."

"Yes, I know we can't fight what he's done any more, but don't you at least want to know why he's protected by Enki?"

"Not really."

"Well I do. I think we should go there immediately."

"And I think you're latching onto this idea to delay going back to Koenma or else to distract yourself from what awaits you back in spirit world by pretending that there is another "adventure" at the end of it."

Botan sighed.

"I suppose you're right," she agreed. "I do really want to know how Inukasai managed to get himself immune to persecution, but I'm mostly obsessing over it because doing so means I don't have to think about Lord Koenma yelling at me for not doing something I never wanted to do in the first place!"

Hiei nodded.

"We'll go there together," he said, holding out his hand towards her.

Botan smiled as she noticed that he was holding his hand palm up – like he had finally learned the correct way to take her hand.

"I feel braver with you beside me, Hiei," she said as she placed her hand into his.

"I feel I wish I knew what the hell was going on," Mukuro grumbled.

"Let's go," Hiei said.

Botan nodded, and together they turned and took their leave. The corridors of Mukuro's temple were dark and sinister, and there were several strange shapes lurking in the shadows, but none of it bothered Botan in the slightest as long as Hiei held her hand. As long as Hiei was holding her hand – and as long as he was her husband – she felt like she could do anything: even confront Koenma and admit to him that she had failed at the task he had set for her after deliberately disobeying the order he had given her.

* * *

Hiei was making no effort to move, but Botan did not especially mind, as she could not bring herself to take even a single step forwards.

"When was the last time you came to spirit world?" she asked him, keeping her eyes on the long, winding road ahead that ultimately led to King Enma's temple.

"I only ever come here for unpleasant reasons," Hiei vaguely replied.

Botan nodded, even though Hiei was not looking at her to see her response. Leaving demon world had been a relatively uneventful and efficient journey, but arriving in spirit world had brought both Hiei and Botan to a halt. It was early evening, and frankly Botan had lost track of what day it was – though she thought it might be Sunday – all she really knew was that she had gone past her original Friday deadline, Koenma would no doubt be irate and she doubted she could stop herself from telling him exactly what she thought of his little social experiment idea.

And just a small part of her was bitter that her one and only opportunity to join the spirit world council had been offered under such sickening circumstances.

But, Botan reminded herself, just as Hiei had returned to Mukuro and confronted his problems there, so she was going to have to return to Koenma and confront her problems there. Their shared adventure in demon world was over, and it was time for Hiei and Botan to return to their normal lives; and although Botan was not opposed to resuming her duties as a ferry girl, she was quite disappointed to know that she was facing a future where she would never be anything but a ferry girl. Standing at the top of the road back to King Enma's temple, the skies looked a little less bright, the jagged mountain ranges either side of the road looked a little less brilliant and the road itself looked a little less alluring: standing at the top of the road back to King Enma's temple, for the first time ever, Botan understood how the souls of the departed felt when they reached that point and began to travel towards their point of judgement.

Suddenly she felt sympathetic towards the souls who bemoaned their fate and threw themselves down on the road itself and refused to walk another step.

"Are you scared?" Hiei asked.

"No," Botan lied.

"So is there another reason why you appear to be trying to crush my hand?"

Botan turned to look at Hiei, at first intending to ask him what he meant, but shortly getting distracted as she noticed that, upon suddenly turning her head, she did not feel the familiar whip of her ponytail at the back of her head. Her face fell as she realised that the last time she had set foot in spirit world, she had had long, flowing hair to be proud of: and she had yet to do something about the badly shorn mess of hair she had been left with.

"If I was that farm boy, you would have broken every bone in my hand by now," Hiei commented.

Botan looked down at her hand, clutched around Hiei's, noticing then that her knuckles were white and that it felt as though her fingernails were embedded into the flesh of Hiei's hand.

"Oh, I'm sorry Hiei," she said.

She made to release his hand, but he held on just tightly enough to stop her from taking her hand away.

"I suppose I am a little nervous," she added. "I know Lord Koenma will be displeased and I can't stop thinking about the calm way he spoke about your pain before and that he saw the whole thing as just some sort of experiment and not as the horrible twist of fate that it truly was and I don't remember telling you about any farm boys, what were you referencing?"

Hiei faltered slightly and Botan momentarily forgot how apprehensive she had felt until that moment.

"Are you talking about that boy I danced with at Lord Koenma's birthday party?" she asked.

Hiei avoided looking directly at her.

"How many times do I have to explain myself?" Botan wailed. "That punch was far too strong, I didn't realise what I was doing!"

"It's fine, forget about it," Hiei mumbled.

"How can I forget about it?" she echoed. "It was months ago Hiei, it was before we got married, it was before we even started courting! I don't still have feelings for him, and I'm not the sort who would behave that way after marrying someone and how do you even know about it anyway?"

Hiei turned his head slightly away from Botan and she was almost certain he turned slightly paler.

"Hiei?" she pressed. "Who told you?"

Hiei muttered something under his breath that Botan barely heard much of beyond one distinct word.

"Who is "Jagan"?" she demanded.

Hiei turned slightly towards Botan again, and briefly lifted his eyes to look directly at her.

"Oh, jagan," she said quietly. "As in jagan eye?"

Hiei briefly looked at her again and she nodded her understanding.

"I see, so you read my mind," she concluded.

Hiei turned slightly away again and Botan gasped.

"When did you read my mind?" she asked.

"When you were thinking about that farm boy…" Hiei quietly replied.

"I don't remember thinking about him this past week!" Botan said. "Hmm…"

Botan tried to think when she could possibly have been thinking about her embarrassing exploits at Koenma's birthday party in Hiei's presence, but as she tried to think about it, she noticed the slightly curious way Hiei was watching her.

"What is it?" she asked him.

"Are you ready to walk on now?" he asked.

Botan turned her head to look along the road ahead of them, realising then that, in her moment of distraction, the tension in her shoulders and stomach had faded.

"I suppose I'm as ready as I ever will be," she said.

"Then let's go," Hiei said.

"But you have to promise not to sneakily read my mind again," Botan said.

Hiei gave Botan a blank look and she pouted at him. They both held their positions for several seconds before Hiei finally conceded.

"Fine," he said.

"Good," Botan said.

Hiei started to walk on, and Botan hesitated to follow him, but as she was still holding his hand, she shortly found herself stumbling after him. He slowed slightly until she had righted herself at his side, but then he continued on at a brisk pace along the long road to King Enma's temple. As they walked, Botan looked up at the sky – partly to distract herself from staring at the temple ahead, the sight of which was only bringing back all of her concerns for what lay ahead of her, and partly because she could see the occasional ferry girl shooting past overhead – and she tried to think about how she should tell Koenma that she had not done what he had asked of her. She wanted to yell at him, but she knew she would need to be diplomatic, and so she began trying to plan in her head how she ought to start the conversation.

"I know what you're worrying yourself about, but we can't move on until you've spoken to Koenma about it," Hiei commented.

Botan slowly lowered her eyes to him at her side.

"Did you read my mind again?" she asked. "After you just promised that you wouldn't do that any more?"

"I don't need to read your mind to know what you're thinking, it's rather obvious," Hiei flatly replied. "You don't know how you're going to tell Koenma what you've done."

Botan nodded vaguely: she was really more concerned with telling Koenma about what she had failed to do rather than what she had done.

"Do you know what the spirit world policy is for dealing with a spirit who marries a demon?"

"I've never thought about it before. I don't think it's ever happened before."

"It's unlikely to be favourable."

Botan faltered and almost stumbled at Hiei's side: she had not even thought about how Koenma would react when he found out that she had married Hiei. Even though she had always known she would need to return to her life in spirit world and to her duties as a ferry girl, during her time in demon world, she had quickly become so immersed in her activities there, she had not really thought about how she would make the transition back to her old life and how her life might be different in the future as a result of the things she had seen and done.

"Actually, that wasn't what I was thinking about," she admitted. "But I don't suppose I really care what Lord Koenma – or anyone else in spirit world – thinks about our marriage. I'm just trying not to lose my temper…"

"Hn, isn't patience a vital quality living in spirit world and dealing with dead humans all the time?"

Botan glanced at Hiei.

"Are you laughing at me?" she asked.

"It amuses me that you're not quite so flawlessly virtuous as the rest of the miserable cretins of this world," he replied.

"That's not really true," Botan said. "There are plenty of residents of spirit world who are less than virtuous. George and Lord Koenma play tricks on each other all the time – and some of them are quite cruel."

"I wasn't talking about childish pranks, I was talking about unscrupulous thoughts and behaviours."

"You mean like criminal thoughts and behaviours?"

"Perhaps."

"In that case I suppose you're right about everyone here being well-behaved. We don't have any crime here in spirit world."

"Because nobody here thinks that way."

"No, because it's illegal."

There was a short silence, during which Botan became aware that the temple gates were drawing closer, and so she turned her attention back to the skies, watching her fellow ferry girls whizzing past intermittently.

"The point of crimes is that they are illegal," Hiei eventually said. "It doesn't matter where they occur: your world, my world or the human world. The reason they aren't committed by residents of spirit world is because residents of spirit world are too virtuous to even think about crimes, let alone how to commit them."

"Hmm, I suppose you're right…" Botan agreed. "I never thought about it like that before…"

"Are you listening to me?"

"Not really…"

Botan thought that maybe Hiei was trying to keep her preoccupied, but, as they had almost reached the temple gate, she was starting to lose the ability to think about anything as her own panic took over. They slowed to a halt at the intercom and Botan reached her free hand towards the buzzer, trying to ignore the fact that her fingers were quivering and her palm was sweaty. She pressed the button and waited for a response, which came in the form of a gruff greeting from one of the gate guards.

"Hello, it's me, Botan," she answered. "Can you let me in please?"

When the lock on the gate did not immediately release, Botan wondered if Koenma had already put the guards on alert for her return and told them to refuse her entrance. Her mind quickly began spawning disastrous possibilities for what lay waiting for her beyond the gate: but before she could give any of them any thorough consideration, the gate released and Hiei took the initiative to open the gate and proceed through, and Botan was shortly forced to follow his lead as his hand caught on hers. Together they moved on through the forecourt of the temple, which was oddly quiet, with only a few guards milling around the temple doors, who gave only passing glances at Hiei. Botan started to relax a little then, and she opened the temple doors ahead of Hiei, stepping through them into the chaotic hallway beyond. Ogres were running around with mountainous stacks of paper and ferry girls were darting about checking their notebooks and calling out to each other. The sounds of frantic footsteps and urgent voices clambering in volume to be heard over each other was thick in the air – the large floor actually felt as though it was vibrating and the air felt as though it was made up entirely of the breaths of those racing around. Botan had never entered the hall in anything less than a rush or without something to keep her as distracted as those around her, and she felt suddenly as out of place walking through the crowd as she had walking through the streets of Doro.

And at the exact moment that thought occurred to Botan, the hall suddenly plunged into silence.

Botan slowly scanned around the sea of staring faces, suddenly all stopped on point and staring in her direction. One ogre had stopped partway through leaning aside to allow a pair of ferry girls past, the pile of paperwork he was cradling in his arms slowly leaning over until the top several sheets eventually slid loose, fluttering their way to the ground. The sound of the paper sliding and then falling was so loud, it almost echoed around the large hall, and only served to illustrate exactly how quiet it had become.

"Hello again everyone."

Another chunk of paperwork fell loose from the precariously balanced pile the leaning ogre was barely holding onto as Botan's greeting echoed around the high hall walls. From the corner of her eye, she could see Hiei looking up at her critically, and she thought she knew why, because even she herself was wondering what had motivated her to cheerfully call out a greeting to a room full of people who were clearly anything but cheerful about her arrival.

"Well, I'll just be on my way then."

One of the ferry girls blinked, but otherwise Botan received no response. She tried to tell herself that the others were staring at her that way because she had brought a demon to spirit world or perhaps because her hair still looked so untidy and she was wearing a much shorter hemline than she usually would: because the alternative was that they were staring at her that way because they all knew that Koenma was displeased with her and they were all in awe of both her rebellion and the fate that awaited her.

"Let's go."

"Okay."

Botan let Hiei guide her on – feeling strangely surprised that he knew which way to go – smiling nervously at the staring eyes that followed her movement through the hallway. When they finally turned a corner and she lost sight of the silent, staring faces, Botan sighed in relief. The journey on to Koenma's office was not a long one, and in the time it took her to fully recover from the awkwardness of the way her colleagues had greeted her arrival, Botan found herself standing outside the familiar set of double doors.

"Oh well, here goes," she moaned.

She approached the doors and paused only briefly before moving through them. On the other side, Koenma was sitting at his desk and George was standing reliably at his side; and by the way Koenma was sitting, his hands clasped on his desk ahead of him, his eyes fixed on the doors, it was clear that he had been expecting her arrival. Botan opened her mouth to greet them both, but stopped short as her arm tugged back. She stopped walking and looked over her shoulder, finding her arm stuck halfway through the door. She frowned curiously as one of the doors began to open and Hiei finally stepped into the office at her side.

"I can't walk through the doors in this place like you can," he advised her in a low voice.

"Oh I see," she replied.

She had never given the matter any thought before, but it was probably logical that demons could not pass through walls and doors the same way ferry girls could in King Enma's temple: after all, if they could, the spirit world prison cells would be entirely ineffective.

"Botan and Hiei, hello."

Botan turned back to face Koenma upon his greeting. Hiei made to approach the prince's desk, but Botan remained where she was, two steps in front of the doors, and when Hiei realised that she was unwilling to move, he stepped back to remain at her side.

"You're very quiet," Koenma commented, when neither answered him. "Which is not unusual for you Hiei, but it's usually a bad sign in Botan."

"I'm late," Botan said quietly.

"Yes, I know," Koenma replied.

He sounded calm and he looked as though her lateness did not concern him in the slightest: but Botan suspected that was far from true.

"Why did you bring Hiei here with you?" he asked.

Botan glanced at Hiei, who was already looking up at her with a slightly agitated but unwaveringly confident look.

"It's a long story, Sir," she concluded as she turned back to face her boss.

"I'm listening," Koenma replied.

"Alright…"

Botan was highly perplexed as to why Koenma was being so lenient, but, as she noticed George on the edge of her vision, sweating profusely and watching her through uneven eyes, she realised that something else was glaringly amiss.

"I broke my oar," she said, fixing her eyes onto Koenma. "And my hair got accidentally cut off."

"I see," Koenma replied.

Botan started to get angry at his lack of an emotional reaction: she had seen him lose his temper and indulge in a screaming tantrum over the number of chocolate sprinkles on his ice cream, so it seemed highly unusual that he would not care that she had arrived back late, looking terrible and in the company of the demon she had been ordered to investigate.

"And I lost everything Captain Ootake gave me to take to demon world," she added.

"I see," Koenma said again.

"I even lost my clothes!" Botan said, her voice cracking slightly as her impatience began to take over.

"I see."

"And I spent all the money you gave me."

Koenma twitched slightly and, despite the response usually causing Botan to panic, she instead felt relieved, despite the potential consequences she would face.

"What did you spend all that money on?" he asked.

"I forgot what Captain Ootake told me about bartering," she replied.

It was not entirely a lie, but it did not exactly answer the question she had been asked either.

"That's an interesting choice of answer, Botan," Koenma said quietly. "Because I thought you spent the whole lot on your wedding."

Botan felt as though she had been stabbed in the back with a hot knife: she could actually feel the heat between her shoulderblades and the sickening feeling of metal boring into her flesh. Hiei grunted a "hn" and smirked humourlessly, though she had no idea why.

"I just got married yesterday," Botan said faintly. "How did you find out already?"

Koenma paused before pointedly turning his attention to Hiei.

"Hiei, would you mind leaving us alone for a little while?" he asked. "There are some things I need to discuss with Botan. George, show Hiei to the waiting area."

George turned bluer than usual and visibly quivered, but did not move from his position at Koenma's side. Botan turned to Hiei, who looked quite determined and mildly irritated, but, as their eyes met, he softened just slightly.

"Do you want me to leave?" he asked her.

"Not really, but it might be best," she replied.

He nodded.

"I'll wait outside the door," he said.

Hiei slid his hand from Botan's – despite the fact that she did, subconsciously, hold onto him quite tightly – and started for the doors.

"Get out of here, ogre," Koenma said, his voice still at conversational volume but notably sterner.

George made a small squeal of alarm and scurried after Hiei, staggering awkwardly out of the doors as they started to close on him. Once he was gone and the doors had closed, Koenma stood up on his chair and pointed at his desk.

"Come over here, Botan," he said.

Botan had to force her feet to obey the order, but she tried to console herself with the thought that once she had confronted Koenma and endured whatever he had to say to her, it would all be over, and she could start her new life as Hiei's wife and a forever ferry girl.

"Botan, do you remember the conversation we had over a week ago?" Koenma asked as Botan stopped in front of his desk.

"Yes Sir," she said.

"Do you remember what I asked you to do?" he asked.

"Yes Sir," she said.

"You do?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

Botan fidgeted with the hem of her yukata and looked up at the ceiling.

"What did I ask you to do, Botan?" Koenma pressed.

"You asked me to spy on my husband!" she snapped, meeting his eyes again.

"I asked you to observe a situation and report back to me," Koenma carefully replied. "At the time that I set you that task, I had no idea that you intended to marry the subject of the situation I was sending you to observe. That would have been an obvious conflict of interests."

"It doesn't matter anyway," Botan said with a sigh. "I never intended to complete the task you set."

"Then why did you agree to do it?"

Botan paused, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"You're not mad at me for not doing what you asked me to?" she asked.

"I'm furious," Koenma replied, looking and sounding calmer than Botan had ever seen or heard him. "But I want to understand exactly what you've been thinking before I decide how to deal with you."

Botan gulped upon hearing Koenma say the words "how to deal with you", but she tried to remain calm.

"I just wanted to stop Inukasai," she said quietly. "You don't understand how awful it was, Sir. He just showed up at Kuwabara's house and took over everything. He pretended to be Yukina's brother, he pretended to be Kuwabara's best friend, he pretended to like Kurama and Yusuke and even Shizuru, and then he was mean to me when I tried to tell him that he needed to tell the truth!"

"Botan, did Inukasai ever really pretend to be anything he wasn't?" Koenma asked.

"Yes!" Botan cried, balling her fists and squaring her shoulders. "Weren't you listening to me? He pretended to be Yukina's brother, Kuwabara's best friend–"

"Botan, what makes you think Inukasai pretended to be any of those things?"

"Because he did!"

"Didn't Inukasai himself believe that he actually was Yukina's brother and Kuwabara's friend?"

"That's not the point!"

"That's exactly the point."

Botan paused.

"I-I'm confused," she admitted, losing some of the momentum of her ire.

"When I set you your task," Koenma explained. "I did so because you told me that Inukasai thought he was Yukina's brother. The task I set to you was only valid as long as Inukasai genuinely believed himself to be Yukina's brother. If that was not the case, then Inukasai was a dangerous imposter who invaded the living world with ill intentions and should have been arrested."

"Inukasai was a dangerous imposter who invaded the living world with ill intentions and should have been arrested!" Botan retorted.

"So that's your conclusion?" Koenma asked. "After studying the situation for longer than the initial week I asked you to, your conclusion is that Inukasai was an imposter who lied about everything?"

Botan wanted to say yes, but she found herself remembering everything Hiei had said and done back in Inugoya, and she felt her heart sink.

"No," she admitted. "Inukasai did seem to believe that he really was Yukina's brother. His own father – his dottled, unhygienic, parasitic, perverse father – even said that Inukasai's mother was an ice maiden named Hina. Even the ice maidens in the ice village said Hina was Inukasai's mother."

"So you visited Inukasai's father and the ice village?"

"Yes."

"And what did you find there?"

"That nobody else but me cared about the facts."

"Can you be more specific?"

"Everybody there – in Inugoya and in the ice village – thought that Inukasai was Yukina's brother too."

"So do you still think that Inukasai lied to you?"

"What he was talking about was a lie, but I suppose he didn't know that when he said it. And now he'll never know it."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Don't you know? I thought you might, since you seem to know that I've married Hiei… Hiei told Yukina that Inukasai must be her brother. Now it might as well be the truth."

"Why do you think Hiei did that?"

Botan looked back over her shoulder at the doors behind her.

"Don't worry, Hiei can't hear what we say in here," Koenma told her. "Feel free to be honest."

Botan turned back to him.

"I don't like talking about my husband behind his back," she tersely replied.

"Remind me how long Hiei has been your husband? Has it been a full twenty-four hours yet?"

Botan faltered.

"It's still not very nice," she meekly replied.

"Please try," Koenma pressed.

"Okay, I believe Hiei did what he did because he thought he was protecting Yukina," Botan confessed. "Inukasai's family are all nicer than Hiei's family – even if they are disgusting – and Hiei was trying to protect Yukina from that. The relationship that Yukina has with Inuyusha – Inukasai's father – she could never have had that sort of relationship with Kuro – who was Hiei's father."

"Why are you using the past tense to refer to Hiei's father?"

"He's dead, Sir."

"How did he die?"

"I killed him, Sir."

Koenma did not look surprised, but strangely that did not concern Botan; she was more concerned with how easily she had just admitted her actions to the prince of spirit world.

"I see," he said.

"Kuro was a terrible monster," Botan continued. "Yukina couldn't ever have faced him. I did, and I'm lucky to be alive."

"Why did you face Kuro?"

"I just wanted proof that Inukasai was lying."

"Did you know how terrible Kuro was before you approached him?"

"I underestimated how terrible he was. But, after meeting Takeo – he was the leader of the bandits who raised Hiei – I did have an idea that Kuro would be quite nasty."

"So you understood that you were at great risk when you confronted Kuro?"

"Yes."

"But you did so regardless?"

"Yes."

"Just to find proof that Inukasai was lying?"

"Well… I'm not so sure I was still looking for a reason to oust Inukasai at that point in the journey… Sir, am I in very great trouble for not following the order you gave me? Because you know, the order you did give me was actually quite twisted and I didn't like it at all. I always thought spirit world was a place of compassion and understanding, but there was nothing compassionate or understanding about what you expected me to do."

"It doesn't really matter what you think about it now Botan, the point is that I did give you an order and you did wilfully disobey it."

"But I didn't like it."

"You accepted the order. You could have refused."

"I tried to!"

"No, I think you manipulated me."

Botan suddenly felt very cold.

"Wh-what do you mean?" she asked.

"I think you know what I mean," Koenma replied, still sounding and looking far too calm for her liking. "You deliberately pretended to accept the mission with no intention of carrying it out so that you could take supplies and information from spirit world to aid a demon."

"Are you accusing me of insubordination, Sir?" Botan asked.

She really hoped that he would say no: the punishment for insubordination in spirit world was quite steep.

"I wish I was," Koenma replied.

Botan frowned.

"Simple insubordination I could understand," he continued. "But this goes a little beyond that. Insubordination would have been what you would have been guilty of had you refused outright to obey the order, but what you actually did was pretend to accept the order and then sabotage the mission."

"So even if I had absolutely refused from the start, I would have been punished regardless? In that case I'm glad I deceived you the way I did!"

"So you admit that you deceived me in order to sabotage the mission I set for you?"

"Yes, I do."

"Then you don't stand here accused of insubordination, Botan, you stand here accused of treason."

Botan suddenly felt as though she was being held under water: she could not breathe, her body felt weightless and her ears were filled with a droning sound as though water was pressing in on her.

"Do you know what the punishment for treason is, Botan?" Koenma asked.

Botan slowly shook her head. She did not have the energy to voice a reply because, with Koenma's last remark, she finally understood why he was so detached, why he was not shouting at her as she had expected him to, why he was not irate.

Botan was being accused of treason, and Koenma had already given up on her.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Botan comes to understand exactly what she did learn during her jaunt in demon world with Hiei, a shocking secret is revealed about Inukasai and Koenma announces Botan's fate. **Chapter 24 – Social Experiment**

 **A/N** : I often get criticised for my pacing in my writing and I admit it's my biggest weakness. However the pacing of this chapter was deliberately slow, I was deliberately trying to make it seem like the story was winding down with no more great excitement to come so that the end would sting that bit more.

Plot is (obviously) now taking a 180, not sure if anyone saw this coming? I tried to keep it in the background that Botan returning to Koenma was going to be a big deal. I tried to play up to it whilst downplaying it (if that makes any sense) in the hope that this next part of the story would be more surprising.

Cue three chapters of bittersweetness and an ultimately odd conclusion.


	24. Social Experiment

**Chapter 24 – Social Experiment**

Hiei stood up at the sound of someone approaching. The ogre sitting across the hall from him yelped and recoiled from him, but Hiei ignored his reaction, instead turning expectantly in the direction of the approaching footsteps. He supposed it would be another ferry girl – several had already flitted past, every one slowing as they passed the doors to Koenma's office, all failing terribly to appear as though they were not just there to attempt to listen through the doors – as the footsteps he could hear were light and quick just like all the ferry girls were; but the aura he could sense did not belong to any creature from spirit world. He started towards the end of the corridor but stopped again as a figure rounded the corner, quick feet stumbling to a halt and wide eyes meeting his.

"Oh, it's you again."

She sounded so bland, anyone less knowledgeable of her kind than Hiei would have assumed that she was being sarcastic.

"What are you doing here?" Hiei asked.

"Akutsu's here."

Hiei narrowed his eyes but Nanako did not respond, apparently thinking that her vague response should have explained why an ice maiden like her was wandering about the corridors of King Enma's temple in spirit world unaccompanied and as though she knew where she was going.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"Wondering what you're doing here," Hiei replied. "Who, or what, is Akutsu?"

"Akutsu's my room-mate," Nanako replied. "Don't you remember?"

"Surprisingly, no," Hiei sarcastically replied. "I don't remember much beyond you and Rui making a fool of me because of your affection for Inukasai."

"Oh, well, if you had been paying attention, I did tell you Akutsu was my roommate," Nanako replied obliviously. "She came here, so I followed her."

"To spirit world?" Hiei asked, anger giving way to curiosity.

"Yes," Nanako replied.

"Why would an ice maiden come to spirit world now?" Hiei asked.

"I don't know," Nanako replied. "That's partly why I followed her."

"Thanks, that was very helpful."

"You're welcome."

Hiei growled and Nanako looked back at him blankly. She appeared not to mind his interruption despite how quickly she had been moving, but she had definitely been moving with purpose and direction, which defied her claim that she had simply followed her friend to spirit world – and it was unlikely the guard of the temple would have allowed her passage without a valid reason for her presence – and so Hiei remained suspicious of her.

"Your friend," he said.

"Akutsu?" she asked.

"Right," Hiei said. "Where is she?"

"That's a funny story, actually."

Nanako spoke so plainly, it was hard to tell whether the story she was about to tell would be humorous or odd or ironically mundane.

"She disappeared, and when I asked the elders in the ice village where she was, they told me she was in the temple," Nanako continued. "So I thought they meant she was in the temple, helping one of our villagers during a birthing ceremony. But it turns out that's not the temple she was in. It turns out she was in this temple."

"Your friend was in spirit world recently?"

Hiei would ordinarily not have the patience to deal with a vague and impassive ice maiden – least of all one that had asked far too many questions about his genetalia during his latest visit to the ice village – but he found himself taking the approach Botan would have had she been there, and asking leading questions.

"Yes, and now she's come back here," Nanako said.

"Why?" Hiei asked.

"Why what?"

Hiei growled.

"Why did she come here in the first place? Why has she come back?" he asked, his voice starting to betray his mounting impatience.

"I don't know," Nanako replied, much to his chagrin. "That's why I followed her here."

Hiei sighed.

"Would you like some tea?"

Hiei turned to find the ogre standing watching them.

"Yes please," Nanako answered him.

"He was talking to me!" Hiei snapped at her.

"I was talking to both of you," the ogre said.

"Why are you welcoming us when neither of us are meant to be here?" Hiei asked.

He was mostly asking because he found the offer irritating, but something about the ogre's body language and Nanako's presence in general was still vaguely suspicious to Hiei.

"All three should wait out here until Lord Koenma calls for you to enter his office," the ogre cryptically replied.

"All three?" Hiei asked.

The ogre nodded.

"Me too?" Nanako asked.

The ogre nodded again.

"And this one makes three."

Hiei and Nanako turned around together.

"Oh, look who it is, Hiei," Nanako said, her voice as dull and lifeless as ever, her flat tone as inappropriate as it had ever been given who she was facing. "This is so bizarre."

Hiei was almost glad of Nanako's lifeless words, as her ridiculously flat tone had at least taken the edge off of dealing with who he was facing, and it temporarily distracted him from the prospect of how he was going to cope with sitting in a hallway with a bumbling ogre, a nosy ice maiden and the apparent golden child of spirit world.

* * *

"Treason?"

The word felt painful leaving her mouth. It was a word that no-one ever spoke out loud: it was only ever whispered in corridors, and even then only in dark, dangerous gossip about fallen spirits of the past.

Botan finally understood why all the ferry girls and all the ogres in the foyer had stopped and fallen silent when she had entered the temple: she was the latest fallen spirit they had been whispering about.

"That is what you've done," Koenma said.

"No," Botan said, shaking her head. "I'm not a traitor! A traitor is a dishonest, evil, scheming, conniving, sneaky, manipulative cad, and that's not me!"

"You did quite a lot of scheming, you used quite a lot of conniving, you were very sneaky, you were manipulative and you were dishonest," Koenma replied.

"But I'm not evil!" Botan wailed.

There was a short silence before Koenma leaned forwards slightly.

"You don't deny the other charges I just levied against you?" he asked.

The image of him looking up at her from beneath arched eyebrows began to blur as tears filled her eyes.

"I don't think I was ever manipulative," she said, her voice becoming uneven as her emotions began to take over.

"I saw everything Botan. Everything."

Botan managed to steady her uneven breathing then, her eyes clearing as the last of her tears rolled from her eyes.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "How did you see what I was doing?"

Koenma pointed at the screen at the other end of this office, which, despite knowing it was there and that Koenma had been referring to it, Botan looked over her shoulder at regardless.

"You were spying on me?" she asked as she turned back to Koenma. "You were spying on me while I was spying on Hiei?"

"You weren't spying on Hiei," Koenma pointed out.

"But you were spying on me," Botan replied.

"Yes, because I was considering you for a position on the spirit world council, and how you handled the task I set you was going to be the deciding factor in whether or not you were given that position."

"Oh. I suppose that makes sense."

"Going back to the original task I set you, why don't you tell me if you think you did learn anything while you were in demon world?"

"I learned nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"The only things I learned were things I already knew. I already knew that I couldn't do what you'd asked me to, I already knew that Hiei was the type to make an incredible sacrifice and I already knew that it doesn't matter what colour a soul is or where or how that soul was raised or who influenced it – genetically or literally – means nothing to how that soul can grow."

"And what helped you come to that conclusion?"

"Well, by your logic, someone like Hiei, someone who has a very red soul – and it is red, I know, I saw it – and someone who was born to a father like Kuro and raised by a nasty snake like Takeo should have been pure evil: but if that was true, why did he let Inukasai steal his sister from him? He let Inukasai steal his sister because he thought he wasn't good enough to be Yukina's brother and do you know why he thought that?"

"Tell me."

"It's because of people like you, Sir."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, if you're accusing me of and charging me with treachery, it doesn't matter what I say now, does it? It's your fault Hiei thinks he's not good enough. You and spirit world and judgement and colour coding and assumptions and illogical pigeonholing. You look at his family and his childhood and you just assume he has to be the same as the bandits who raised him or – worse – his father. You've already decided he's not good enough before you even give him a chance to prove himself! What sort of ruler are you with an attitude like that?"

"Are you questioning my leadership?"

"No, I'm questioning your value as a leader."

"That is treason."

"Good."

"What?"

"Well, I wasn't guilty of it, but if I'm going to be tried for a crime, I might as well commit it first!"

Koenma sat back in his seat, but he did not look as displeased or shocked as Botan had expected him to.

"If you were always so opposed to the task I set you," he began. "How do you think things might have been if something else had happened that had sabotaged your mission and you had managed to return to me before your deadline? If you had come back and reported to me and I had then offered you the position on the council, what would you have done?"

"Isn't that a moot point, Sir?" Botan asked, feeling too emotionally exhausted to even care any more.

"If you are so opposed to the spirit world methods of judgement and if you are so opposed to the social experiment I discussed with you, I wonder how you could desire a position at the head of a committee who enforce such rules upon us all?" Koenma asked.

"I suppose if it had turned out the way you just described, I would have taken the position on the council and made sure that I used my position to change the way things are done."

"You think you could do that?"

"If I was a member of the spirit world council, everyone would have to at least listen to what I had to say."

"That's true. Would you have the courage and conviction to push an issue like that through the council? Do you think you could drive such a massive change to the fundamental means by which spirit world operates?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because my way is the right and truthful and fair way."

"Your way would be quite difficult to implement. Quite time-consuming to enforce: you're suggesting we evaluate each soul on an individual basis without taking into consideration factors like genetics or upbringing."

"But that's the way it should be. It doesn't matter how much time and effort it takes: this is supposed to be spirit world, this is what we do, and we're not doing it right!"

"You're talking about a very idealistic point of view on a very complex matter."

"I don't care."

"Do you think idealists make good leaders?"

"I don't care."

"Try to answer me."

"King Enma obviously isn't an idealist, so maybe we should have an idealist as our leader."

"Do you understand that there is an argument why having an idealist as a leader is a bad thing?"

"I suppose an idealist wouldn't manage to go to war, even if it was the only course of action left. Maybe spirit world shouldn't be governed by a single leader. Maybe it should be governed by the council."

Botan was unsure what to think when her last remark brought a smile to Koenma's face.

"That was really all I needed to know," he said.

"I don't understand," she replied.

"People call me an idealist, Botan," he said. "And my father doesn't think I'm capable of taking over leadership of spirit world because of that. I think that spirit world shouldn't be ruled by just one person. I think it should be run by the council: but the problem with that right now is that the council we currently have is comprised of members hand-picked by my father. It's only recently that he's allowed me to nominate new members. I chose our ice village liaison officer and now I'm choosing you, Botan."

"You mean you were going to choose me," Botan corrected him. "Before I betrayed you and failed the test you set for me to check my eligibility to join the council."

Koenma smiled again and Botan began to feel slightly irritated by his gesture, which seemed so highly inappropriate under the circumstances.

"Did you really think the eligibility test was to spy on Hiei?" he asked.

Botan suddenly felt cold again.

"And did you really think I'd offer you a position on the council if you agreed to take the mission on and simply spied on your friend's woes for a week?"

Botan raised a finger to start arguing that nothing was making any sense, but words failed her.

"We have been observing you all this time, and we're all quite pleased with what we've seen so far," Koenma continued. "The only part none of us really understood was why you married Hiei, but I'm sure you had your reasons."

"W-we?" Botan asked faintly.

"Yes, we," Koenma replied, reaching a hand towards the intercom on his desk. "A-Team, could you join us please."

"A-Team?" Botan asked as Koenma lifted his fingers from the intercom.

"Yes," Koenma replied. "Don't worry, it's nobody you don't already know."

Botan stared blankly as Captain Ootake, Ryuhi and the ice village liaison officer entered Koenma's office from the rear door.

"Your thoughts?" Koenma asked them.

"I thought she generally did a good job," Ootake replied.

"I thought she was a little weak in the ice village," Ryuhi commented. "She over-reacted when she found out the ice maidens had cut off her hair."

"I thought she did really well," the ice village liaison officer said. "But her battle against Kuro was a little messy."

"For a novice, I think she did a fantastic job," Ootake said. "She gets my vote to join the council."

"I think she panics too easily and she's too emotional," Ryuhi said. "But she does seem to have a strange ability to react intelligently when she's backed up into a corner, and for that, she gets my vote."

"I don't understand why she married the emiko," the ice village liaison officer said. "But I've seen how persuasive she can be, and her lack of battle experience really only makes her more of a diplomat than a fighter, and isn't that what we need on the council? She's got my vote."

"So then it's unanimous, Botan," Koenma said, turning back to Botan. "You can join the council."

"Except I can't," Botan said, her voice sounding small and unsure despite her feeling quite determined that what she was saying was significant. "Because you're trying me for treason."

When Koenma, Ootake and Ryuhi started laughing, Botan physically flinched away from the desk, the sound of their laughter almost painful and the look of genuine amusement on their faces too much to bear.

"Oh Botan, don't be silly!" Koenma said. "I'm not trying you for treason!"

"But… You said…" Botan began.

"I wanted you to kick back at least a little when I gave you that order," Koenma replied.

"But what about your social experiment?" she asked.

"Oh, that's alright, I've already completed that," he cheerfully replied. "It was already underway when you arrived in my office to tell me about it: which is where I got the idea that I could combine the experiment with your assessment. I think it worked quite well."

"It did," Ootake replied, nodding his head.

"You didn't think it would!" Koenma said to him.

"I was wrong, Sir," Ootake admitted.

"Wait a minute!" Botan snapped. "What is going on? I'm so confused!"

"I was testing you, Botan," Koenma replied. "It's really as simple as that. How you took the order and how you enacted it was all a test. And you passed. Congratulations."

"But it wasn't a test, it was real!" Botan yelped. "Inukasai really did steal Hiei's life! Didn't you hear what I said?"

"That was part of the test."

Botan suddenly felt colder than she ever had – even in her time in the ice village, and that was really quite a feat.

"Part of the test?" she asked. "Wh-what do you mean p-part of the test?"

"We always wanted to conduct a little social experiment to explore the argument of nature versus nurture," Koenma replied. "And so, when Akutsu approached our ice village liaison officer and told us she had learned that she had a brother – an emiko – who had been born at the same time as she had, we thought it was a good opportunity to set up a little experiment."

"…What…?"

"We investigated on Akutsu's behalf and discovered that her brother was an emiko named Inukasai, raised by his actual father, Inuyusha, the leader of the dog demon tribe. Our records showed that the dog demon tribe are one of the most benign in all of demon world, and Inyusha himself has a relatively good rating as being a leader within demon world who we in spirit world have been able to deal with in the past. All the factors were present to suggest that Inukasai was a type of demon who would typically have been born red and raised in an evil environment, but he was an exception to the rule thanks to the benevolent genetics of his father and the relatively good environment he had been brought up in. If we could prove that his soul was not entirely red, we had all the evidence that we needed."

"But… Are you saying that you... You orchestrated this whole thing?"

"Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying."

"So… When you set me that mission…?"

"The experiment was already underway."

"But… If you knew Inukasai's sister was Akutsu… Why didn't you tell him that before he went to the living world and interfered with Yukina's life and ruined Hiei's life?"

"That was obviously a part of the experiment."

"But… What?"

"Proving that Inukasai had been born better or raised better merely backed up the current evaluation system of relying on the colour of a soul to grade its integrity. To make this experiment work to our advantage, we had to prove that even the reddest of souls could be good. And that's where Hiei came into it."

Botan slowly looked around the faces of the others in Koenma's office. Koenma, the SDF officers and even the ice village liaison officer all looked quite pleased with themselves, as though they had done something noble and wonderful; but Botan could not escape the thought that they had all done something abhorrent and disastrous that had ruined lives already and, when the truth came out, would ruin more lives yet.

"We needed someone to monitor Hiei because how he reacted to all of this would give us the data we needed to prove that even someone born as evil and raised as badly as Hiei could be honourable," Koenma continued. "The fact that we needed to assess your ability for critical thinking and how you would judge a soul's merit under such circumstances made your objections to what was happening an easy opening to include you in our experiment and double the efficiency of the little scenario we had set up."

"It was very clever of you, Sir," the ice village liaison officer said.

"Yes it was," Koenma said smugly.

"But…" Botan began. "But… You ruined Hiei's life…"

"Not really, Botan!" Koenma replied dismissively. "After all, it's not real, it was just an experiment."

"But Yukina really believes that Inukasai is her brother…"

"Yes, well, that's something I'll leave up to Inukasai and Hiei to resolve."

"…What…?"

"As for Akutsu, we should really give the poor girl some closure."

Koenma nodded at the ice village liaison officer, who drifted out of the back door of the office. He then turned back to Botan and smiled at her, his face once more back to normal.

"So, how do you feel?" he asked her, his voice also finally back to its usual, cheerful, tones. "Are you excited to be joining the spirit world council?"

Botan stared blankly back at him. The idea of joining the spirit world council had always been the sweetest dream for her, but suddenly it was the most terrible reality that had been realised at the highest possible cost.

"This is Akutsu," Koenma said as the ice village liaison officer returned with a girl at her side. "She's Inukasai's sister."

Botan slowly moved her eyes to the girl in question, who, according to the genetics of the ice maidens, must be identical to her mother.

She was a little taller than Yukina, but her hair was a very similar colour (though worn in a different style), she had the same crimson eyes.

To anyone who did not know Yukina or Akutsu very well, the two could easily be mistaken for each other.

Which meant that Inukasai's mother looked a lot like Hina.

"I think I can explain what you're wondering about," the ice village liaison officer said.

Botan moved her eyes slightly to look at the former ferry girl expectantly.

"Akutsu's mother was an ice maiden named Himawari," she explained. "Her friends called her Hima."

"Hima…" Botan said, her eyebrows twisting involuntarily. "Sounds just like..."

"Hina?" Koenma offered.

Botan turned back to her boss, her eyebrows straightening and her eyes narrowing.

"You really had this all planned out, didn't you?" she asked.

"Actually, I can't take all the credit," he replied, seemingly oblivious to her bitter sarcasm. "A lot of it was just convenient coincidence. The fact that Akutsu's missing brother was also her twin and from a good family was just luck, and that their mother shared so many similarities with Hiei and Yukina's mother just made it that much easier to set this whole thing up."

"But the thing that you set up was a game that you played with other people's lives," Botan pointed out.

"But it's all over now," Koenma casually replied. "In fact, let's draw this to a conclusion, shall we?"

"Draw this to a conclusion?" Botan asked as Koenma reached for his intercom. "What sort of conclusion is there to draw?"

"George, bring in the other three now," Koenma said.

Botan turned at the sound of the doors behind her opening, the numbness of the past few minutes passing to be replaced by a mounting anxiety as George returned to Koenma's office, leading in three others.

"Nanako," Akutsu said.

"Akutsu," Nanako replied, stepping past George and hurrying towards her friend. "I've really missed you. It seems like lately you spend more time here with these people than you do at home."

"I know," Akutsu agreed. "But I've found my brother now so I'll be returning home soon."

"That's good. It's more fun when you're around."

Botan tried to hide her sneer at hearing the two ice maidens talk in such flat, lifeless voices about something they ought to sound excited about before turning to see Hiei coming a halt at her left side. He glanced up at her, and although he did not look anywhere near as horrified or distraught as she felt, something about the look on his face told her that he already had some idea of what was going on.

"What is the meaning of all this?"

Botan turned abruptly to her right, finding Inukasai standing alongside her, his face tense as his eyes scanned over the faces of everyone standing on the other side of Koenma's desk.

"You must be Inukasai," Koenma greeted him.

Inukasai fixed his eyes onto Koenma, and, for the first time since he had raised his hand to her, Botan saw him looked genuinely angry.

"I assume I have been brought here regarding my recent illegal passage into the living world," he said to Koenma. "But, with all due respect, I do not believe this is a matter that concerns you or spirit world in general."

"You can relax, Inukasai, you are not on trial here," Koenma assured him. "We just brought you in here to explain a little something to you."

Inukasai relaxed his stance slightly, but the hardened look on his face did not soften any.

"Botan?"

Botan was beyond feeling horrified when Koenma held out a hand towards her and Inukasai turned his hard glare to her expectantly.

"Um…" she said faintly, avoiding looking directly at Inukasai as she spoke. "It turns out Yukina isn't your sister. This girl over here – this ice maiden over here – her name is Akutsu – it turns out that she is in fact your sister."

"What?" Inukasai echoed. "I understand that you, for some inexplicable reason, have taken a great dislike to me woman, but what you are claiming now is beyond petty."

"I'm not being petty, Inukasai," Botan replied, looking directly at him then. "I'm being honest. Which is something I think I might be the only person in this room capable of doing."

Inukasai looked over at Akutsu and paused, watching her for several seconds before turning his attention to Koenma.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked.

"We in spirit world have been conducting a little social experiment," Koenma replied. "Botan here was helping us to facilitate it."

Inukasai rounded on Botan, who hurriedly shook her head.

"She was also one of the subjects of our experiment," Koenma added.

"I think all three subjects made for fascinating study," the ice village liaison officer said, sounding almost sarcastically disinterested.

"An "experiment"?" Inukasai asked, turning back to Koenma.

"Yes," Koenma replied. "We've been controlling things behind the scenes, if you like, and we set up the situation where you would believe that Yukina was the sister you were looking for. Our ice village liaison officer kept your real sister distracted while we planted the rumour that the sister you sought had moved to the living world. From there, we fed you enough clues to guide you to Yukina: we even made sure you knew which of the border patrol units was the weakest to guarantee your passage to the living world. It took a lot of negotiating on our part, but we managed to convince King Enki not to arrest you when he learned of your crime – so you don't have to worry about there being any consequences for what you did – and we observed you from a distance, and how Hiei dealt with your interference."

Inukasai's expression had finally softened, his anger finally giving way to the sort of horror Botan had felt upon first hearing the truth about what had really been going on all along.

"What are you saying?" he asked. "Are you saying that what this woman said is true? Yukina is not my sister?"

"Yes, that's correct," Koenma replied.

"And you knew this all along?" Inukasai said, turning to Botan again.

"I knew Yukina wasn't your sister, but I had no idea Akutsu was your sister," Botan replied.

"So you lied to me?" he asked. "Why would you do that?"

"I didn't lie to you!" Botan snapped back. "I'm the only person here who never lied to you! I never said that Yukina was your sister! I was only one who always told you that she couldn't possibly be your sister!"

"That's true, Botan didn't know about Akutsu and she didn't know that we had created a situation where you would believe that Yukina was your sister," Koenma told Inukasai.

Inukasai looked around the others before settling his attention on Koenma, his anger once more giving way to disbelief.

"But I introduced Yukina to my family," he said. "I took her into my home, I… I really made a connection with her… Are you telling me all of that meant nothing?"

"No," Koenma replied. "The fact that you did manage to make such close bonds with Yukina – and Kuwabara, and Yusuke and Kurama – just shows that you are the good soul we believed you ought to be. The fact you managed to bond with Kuwabara, and more especially Yusuke and Kurama, despite the fact that you were imposing upon their friend's sister, shows that you are very personable. You should take heart: you've been an excellent ambassador for demon world, Inugoya and for sons of the ice village. You should be proud."

Inukasai finally started to adopt the same look Botan was almost certain she herself was wearing: the look on his face certainly summed up quite nicely how she felt.

"So this – all of this – was just a game spirit world decided to play, with the three of us as your pawns?" Hiei asked Koenma.

Hiei neither looked nor sounded in the least bit surprised, angered or upset.

"I wouldn't go so far as to call the three of you pawns," Koenma replied.

"But you don't deny that this was all just a game you played with our lives?" Hiei responded.

"It wasn't a "game"," Koenma said. "It was an experiment."

"Dress it up however you like, the facts remain the same: you intentionally manipulated the life situations of three individuals, bringing us all to a point where we thought all hope was lost, purely for the benefit of finding out how much emotional torture we would endure before we broke?"

"That's a little melodramatic."

"Hn. But still you don't deny it."

"I can't deny that I created the situation."

"Because you wanted us to suffer."

"It wasn't that I wanted you to suffer, per se."

"You needed us to suffer in order to fulfil the requirements of your "experiment"."

"In one way or another I did require all three of you to overcome certain trials of character and conscience."

"So in other words, we were just pawns in your very sick, very twisted, very cruel and very unnecessary game," Inukasai said quietly.

"Again, it wasn't really a game," Koenma replied. "It was a very serious issue we needed to address."

"But you did use all three of us," Botan said. "Hiei's right. You tortured us all – one way or another – you tried to break us – all just to prove something you just told me you already believed in."

"Yes, Botan, I did tell you I believe that the method for evaluating a soul's merit needs to be revised," Koenma said. "But in order to push that motion through, I needed real life proof of my hypothesis."

"No you didn't," Botan replied, tears blurring her eyes again. "Spirit world works on the premise of belief. We don't need to prove our existence to humans in order to rule over their afterlife, their belief in our existence is what supports us, and you didn't need to prove this theory to enforce it, because if you really are inheriting control of spirit world, you can enforce whatever rule you choose: and if you, and everyone else you are assembling onto the spirit world council believe in it, then it will be."

"That's such an idealistic view, Botan."

"I really wish you'd stop calling me an idealist as though the word is interchangeable for ignorant."

Koenma's face dropped, but Botan only barely noticed, as tears were freely flowing from her eyes despite her holding back any literal sobbing.

"I can't believe you did this to me," she said. "I can't believe you did this to Hiei. I can't even believe you did this to Inukasai."

"I thought you were a part of this?" Inukasai asked her.

She shook her head.

"I didn't have to tell any of you about any of this," Koenma said.

"You sound a little fussy," Botan commented.

"I just did you all a favour," Koenma tightly replied. "I wasn't obliged to reveal the details of my plans. I only am telling you all now so that Akutsu can get to know her brother, Inukasai can get to know his real sister and Hiei can go back to being Yukina's brother!"

Botan froze as the two emikos either side of her slowly turned to glare at each other.

"Yukina is your sister?" Inukasai asked.

"You better forget anyone told you that," Hiei warned him.

"Did you know Yukina is your sister?" Inukasai asked.

"I said forget about it," Hiei replied.

"If you knew Yukina was your sister, why then did you return her hiruiseki to her and tell her you were pleased that she had found me?"

"Why do you think I said that?"

Inukasai appeared to think for a moment before his anger vanished from his face.

"If you breathe a single word of this to anyone – anyone at all – I will kill you, your wanton wife and your little dog too," Hiei growled.

"My little dog?" Inukasai echoed. "Are you referring to my son?"

"Keep your mouth shut and you'll never have to find out," Hiei replied.

The two glared at each other a moment longer before both turning back to Koenma. Botan relaxed a little, but the sight of Koenma still smiling, Akutsu and Nanako still watching on emotionlessly and the remainder of the spirit world staff starting to look bored with the whole affair reminded her just how distressing her situation actually was.

"So, to conclude this meeting," Koenma said. "Inukasai, this is your sister Akutsu and Botan, welcome on board the council."

"I quit."

"Yes, it is very – wait, what?"

"I quit."

Koenma stared up at Botan unblinkingly. She wiped a hand at her cheeks, smearing tears over her face and snivelled before reaffirming her stance.

"I don't want to join the spirit world council," she said. "I quit."

"I thought you did want to join the spirit world council," Koenma said slowly. "Or at least, it certainly seemed that you did at the start of your mission. What changed?"

"I learned the truth," she replied. "I can't join a council that supports playing with lives the way you did with Hiei and Yukina. I don't want any part of it. The way I feel right now, I don't even want to be a ferry girl any more. I want to walk out that door and never have to set foot in this realm ever again."

"That's a little extreme, don't you think?" Koenma asked.

"I don't think it's extreme enough. I have to do what I believe is the right thing to do, and this feels right."

Koenma nodded solemnly.

"You surely cannot be surprised that one of your own employees is abandoning you after such a vile act of malice," Inukasai said.

"Hn, forget about it, you fool," Hiei said him through a humourless and slightly strained smirk. "This is spirit world: they do things like this all the time. They claim demon world is the warped place, but the cruelty spirit world propagates is far more complex and pervasive than anything demon world ever produced. I'm not surprised by any of this: I didn't expect it, but I'm not surprised by it."

"I'm horrified by it," Botan said. "And right now, I just need to get away from it."

"Botan if you won't accept the position on the council, I can't force you to," Koenma said. "I am disappointed that you won't accept it, but as you won't, you will be required to return to your duties as a ferry girl."

"I'm not sure I'm ready to do that just yet," Botan said.

"And I don't think you can force her to," Hiei added. "Not after what you've put her through. She's leaving with me and she will return if and when she feels ready to. Is that understood?"

"I can let Botan take a little break from her duties if that's what she wants," Koenma replied. "But I do expect her to return here eventually."

"We'll see about that," Hiei replied. "Let's go, Botan."

Botan felt Hiei take her hand, but she could not make her feet move to leave.

"Your employee and her husband might be willing to overlook this egregious act of mass emotional torture, but I will not be so lenient," Inukasai said, taking a step closer to Koenma's desk. "You have attacked my honour and sabotaged the happiness of my family, and those are the two most sacred things to me in this life. I only know one way to deal with anyone who so much as attempts the sort of act you have committed on a grand scale."

Botan yelped and leapt a step closer to Hiei as Inukasai whipped out his sword and pointed it across Koenma's desk at the young prince.

"A duel," he growled. "To the death. It is the only way."

The SDF officers started to move towards Koenma's desk, but Inukasai held his position, apparently willing to suffer the consequences of the bold threat he had just issued. Hiei made an amused grunt and shook his head before starting to leave, his hand in Botan's pulling her away. She staggered back a step before grabbing her free hand at Inukasai's sleeve, bringing Hiei to a halt as she became caught between the two of them. Inukasai glared down at her hand before lifting his eyes to hers. He was looking at her that same way he had the instant before he had hit her the first night they had met, but she no longer cared: she had something she had to say to him and she was determined to be heard.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Botan has something to say to Inukasai, Keiko and Kuwabara have a discussion on ethics (ie I get preachy/lay out both sides of the moral issue this fic was attempting to address in the subtext), Inukasai reveals just how pathetic he actually is, Botan delivers the news about Inukasai to Yukina and Yukina has something to say to Hiei. **Chapter 25 – Forever Ferry Girl**

 **A/N:** Akutsu is an anime character who befriends a dog. Because Akutsu's mother wanted to give her a dog-related name, I guess. (I can't remember the name of the anime – I thought I noted it down, and now I can't find it again…)

So, did anyone know this was a set-up all along? That the whole thing was a part of the "social experiment" plan? (Because I didn't know that when I started writing this – the whole reason I had Botan leave her tent and half her supplies at the foot of the mountain on the way to the ice village was because she was supposed to run late reporting back to Koenma and he was supposed to send the SDF to look for her and there was going to be a whole scene where the SDF arrested Hiei for kidnapping her and then I changed my mind I suck at sticking to storyboards and this is the longest sentence ever.) Inukasai wasn't entirely the bad guy here, though he is a bit of an ass (as will be more apparent in the next chapter too).


	25. Forever Ferry Girl

**A/N:** Slightly long chapter warning. Could have spread chapter 25 and 26 out over 3 chapters, but didn't want to give myself an excuse to draw out the ending (like I always do).

* * *

 **Chapter 25 – Forever Ferry Girl**

Inukasai's nose twitched slightly as he glared at Botan and she could feel that Hiei wanted her to move on, but still she held her position.

"Don't do this," she said to Inukasai. "Think about Inudaiki. If you do this, he'll grow up without one of his parents, just like you had to. Is that what you want for your son? It's not worth it. You have what you wanted: you know who your sister is, and nothing about your life has changed."

"How can you expect me to just forget everything I have endured lately?" he growled back. "You are maybe willing to accept this blow to your honour, but I will not."

"Please," Botan insisted. "It's not worth it. Just take your sister and get out of here. Go home. Be with your family. Forget about all of this. Move on with your life. You can do that."

Inukasai narrowed his eyes.

"What about Yukina?" he asked. "I can hardly just abandon her after all of this. She will be heartbroken."

"Let me deal with Yukina," Botan replied.

She looked over at Hiei.

"I'll explain it to Yukina," she told him. "I can do it. I'll do it the right way. I promise."

Hiei nodded and so Botan turned her attention back to Inukasai. His eyes had lost some of their vengeful determination, but he was still pointing his weapon at Koenma.

"Put away your sword," she advised. "It's just not worth it. I know you feel offended and hurt, but it will pass. It's a small price to pay to watch your son grow up."

Inukasai looked down at Koenma for a moment before looking over at the SDF officers, paused by the other side of Koenma's desk. He then sighed audibly and stowed his sword. With a sharp movement of his arm, he tugged his sleeve from Botan's grasp and then he turned and marched towards the exit. Botan looked down at Koenma, who gave her a strangely indifferent look – which she took to mean that he was going to forgive Inukasai's threat and that she was free to go – and then turned to Hiei.

"Let's go," he said again as she met his eyes.

She nodded and, without looking back, she left spirit world hand-in-hand with her husband.

* * *

"Are you listening to me?"

Keiko planted her hands on her hips and glared down at Kuwabara, who was sitting at his desk, poised over a book they were meant to be studying from together, but his head was turned towards the window and he was clearly distracted from the task.

"I should have taken Okubo as my assignment partner," Keiko tried. "At least he listens when someone's talking to him."

When Kuwabara still did not respond Keiko sighed and stomped over to the window, looking out in the expectation of finding what he was staring at that was so fascinating it had managed to distract him so completely from their assignment. She looked about, but saw nothing of interest – not even on ground level, which, from his position set back from the top floor window, Kuwabara himself would not have line of sight to – and so she turned around, facing Kuwabara directly. After a short pause, he appeared to notice her staring directly at him, and he moved his eyes to her.

"We're supposed to be researching for our assignment for our history class?" she reminded him.

"Oh, yeah, right…" he said, sounding bored and as though he had not actually even heard her question.

"Kuwabara!" she yelled.

"Yeah, sorry Keiko," he said, sounding no more enthusiastic but at least a little more coherent. "I guess I'm just distracted."

"I couldn't tell…" Keiko sarcastically replied, giving him a flat look.

"I'm really worried about Yukina and Inukasai," he said.

Keiko softened a little then.

"Well, I guess I can understand that," she conceded. "What exactly happened, anyway?"

Kuwabara shrugged.

"It was so weird," he said. "We spent a couple of days in Inugoya and everything was great. The dog demon tribe were all really cool guys – the girls were a bit scary, but the guys were great. Then Inukasai walked us back to the portal, and when we got there, there was an ogre waiting for us."

"Was it George?" Keiko asked.

"No, but he was from spirit world," Kuwabara replied. "He asked Inukasai to go to spirit world with him. We knew it was because Inukasai had entered the living world illegally, and we haven't heard anything since, and Yukina is really upset. I don't know what the punishment is for demons who enter the living world without permission, but I guess it can't be good. I don't know if I should go to spirit world and talk to Koenma about it or not: I offered to go with Inukasai but he really didn't want me to. He said he wanted to deal with it himself. He's such a great guy."

"Yeah, he seemed really nice," Keiko agreed. "And surely Koenma will see that, and knowing that he's Yukina's brother, maybe they'll let him off with just a warning not to do it again. Even if they ban him from coming back here ever again, you can always go visit him in his village in demon world, right?"

"I guess so," Kuwabara said. "It just sucks that he has to go through all that. Yeah he broke some rules coming here, but he did it for all the right reasons. It's not like he would ever have got permission to come here, the rules are so strict now that there's no kakai barrier."

"Well for some of us, it's quite reassuring that the rules are so strict…"

"Yeah, I know, but it's still not fair."

"Well look, why don't you wait until you get home from school tomorrow, and if Yukina still hasn't heard anything from Inukasai, you can go to spirit world then and find out what's happening."

"Are you just saying that to make me concentrate on studying?"

"I would like you concentrate on studying, but I am offering my genuine opinion too. If you rush over there now you might just cause more problems for him. He might just be talking to them and they might just have let him off with a warning. If you go running in there like a bull in a china shop you could ruin the negotiations and cause him more problems. He's a sensible guy and he's a good negotiator, he keeps a cool head and knows the right protocol for tactful behaviour, just leave him to it for now. Trust him. I'm sure he would trust you. And the fact that he didn't want you to come with him when you offered to suggests that he wants to handle this himself, so you might offend him if you force your way into the situation."

"Yeah, that makes a lotta sense, Keiko. Thanks for that."

"No problem. We're friends. That's what friends do, right? They help each other out."

Kuwabara nodded and attempted a smile.

"Hey Keiko?" he said.

"Yeah?" she said.

"On the biology exam, on the last question, what did you put?"

Keiko paused as she tried to remember what the last question on the biology exam had been: there had been so many exams lately, it was difficult to remember a specific question from any specific subject, but, she when she saw the way Kuwabara was watching her, she realised exactly which question he was referring to.

"The one on genetic traits?" she asked. "That wasn't a question you could get wrong, points would have been awarded based on how you backed up whether you said you agreed or didn't agree."

"Oh, I wasn't asking because I wanted to know if I got it right or not," Kuwabara replied. "I just wondered what you said. I thought it was a weird question for a biology exam."

"It was an ethical question, and ethics come into all fields of science at some point or another," Keiko pointed out. "And it is quite contentious to say that someone could inherit something like violent behaviour from their parents, don't you think?"

"No, I said I thought it was true."

"You did?"

"Didn't you?"

"No."

"Oh."

A short, awkward silence passed between the two before Keiko spoke again.

"So you think that you inherited your personality from you parents?" she asked.

"I know I did," Kuwabara plainly replied. "Don't you think you inherited your personality from your parents?"

"No!" Keiko indignantly replied.

"Oh."

Another silence passed, during which Keiko started to feel herself getting frustrated with Kuwabara for having such a ridiculous opinion: but before she could tell him exactly how absurd she thought his answer in the exam was, he spoke first.

"I guess it was Inukasai who made me answer the way I did," he said. "When I read the question, I wasn't sure, but then I thought about how Yukina is such a nice girl and Inukasai is such a great guy, and Yukina always said her friend Rui told her that her mom was just like her. So I thought Yukina and Inukasai must have inherited their personalities from their mom. Then when I went to Inugoya and met Inukasai's dad, I knew I'd given the right answer, because his dad was a nice guy too."

"Right," Keiko replied, despite still strongly disagreeing with Kuwabara's viewpoint. "Well, I hope Inukasai is okay. And I'm sure you'll see him again soon."

"I hope so."

* * *

Hiei stopped abruptly, tightening his grip on Botan's hand to stop her at his side. By the way she looked at him, it was obvious she had not noticed what he had: at the top of the winding, jagged road out of spirit world, Inukasai was standing looking back towards them.

"What do you want?" Hiei called out to him.

Botan turned abruptly, making a small "oh" as she finally noticed him.

"I want to say something," Inukasai called back. "To each of you."

Hiei groaned. He was sick of listening to the faker talk: he certainly liked the sound of his own whiny voice.

"Come closer, I do not wish to shout."

Botan growled and grumbled under her breath about the nerve of Inukasai giving them orders, and, as much as he agreed with his wife's response, Hiei started to walk again. Botan followed his lead – as they were still holding hands she would not have had much choice in the matter had she tried to stall – and they continued along the road until they were less than ten feet from Inukasai.

"Make it snappy, I feel sick and I don't wish to loiter here," Botan warned him.

He nodded at her, though Hiei doubted it was because he intended to take her words to heart.

"Hiei, first of all, I would like to tell you something," he said, turning his attention to Hiei. "I think I understand why you didn't tell Yukina the truth before, but I think that you should now."

"I don't really care what you think," Hiei frankly replied. "You don't understand the situation or Yukina like I do. And I thought I told you never to mention my relation to Yukina to anyone: and that includes me."

"I think you have never told her because you are embarrassed about how terrible your life is compared to her own," Inukasai continued. "And whilst your life is embarrassing – and of course you now have the added inconvenience of Yukina having experienced what it would be like to have a good man as her brother – I think Yukina still deserves to know the truth. She is a dear, sweet girl. I think she can overlook how pathetic you are."

Hiei decided it was not even worth the effort to kill Inukasai – even though he could now do that, as it was only a matter of time before Yukina learned that he was not really her brother after all, and so he no longer had any obligation not to harm the imposter.

"And as for you, Botan," Inukasai continued, turning to the ferry girl.

"I already know what you're going to say to me," she interrupted him. "You still hate me and you still think I'm a terrible harpy: but you know, I did just save your life back there."

"Yes, I know you did that," Inukasai replied. "That was a part of what I wanted to talk to you about. It appears that I may have underestimated and misunderstood you."

"Well… Yes…"

"I cannot abide by an attack on my honour and I feel that you attacked my honour when we first met because you accused me of lying about my relation to Yukina."

"I thought you were lying."

"No, I genuinely believed Yukina to be my sister and, as such, I thought you were the one being unreasonable. Your reaction to me was so extreme, it seemed illogical and you seemed unstable and vile."

"Gee, thanks. You really are a smooth talker."

"But I was very wrong about you, Botan."

"Yes you were."

"Yes, I was. You reacted the way you did to my arrival because you knew Yukina was your husband's sister – your sister-in-law – and you knew that what I was claiming was false: but because your husband had chosen not to tell his sister the truth, you honoured his decision and kept quiet too. You were in a terrible position and I surely only made it worse for you. I have treated you terribly because I believed you to be the antagonist in the situation, but the truth was, I was the antagonist all along. I am truly sorry Botan. For everything. I cannot fathom that you stepped in and stopped me back there the way you did. I like to think that I am a good person who believes in giving everyone a second chance – just as my own clan did for me – but I know that, had our roles been reversed, I would not have been so kind to you. I would have let you attack the prince of spirit world and then I would have felt that you deserved the sentence you faced for your actions."

"That's exactly what I would have done too…" Hiei muttered.

"I think it's what most would do under such circumstances," Inukasai said. "I wonder why you did not, Botan."

"She didn't let you ruin your own pathetic life because she, unlike you, has a sense of integrity," Hiei sharply replied. "Botan is the sort of woman who shines in a crisis and can handle herself in ways most of the rest of us only wish we could. She did the right thing – morally at least – but in the heat of the moment, most others would not have done what she did because their anger and desire for revenge would have clouded their judgement."

"I see," Inukasai said quietly.

"Basically she did what she did because she's a much bigger and better person than you are," Hiei added.

"Thank you, Hiei."

Hiei glanced up at Botan and saw that she had tears in her eyes: he was not sure if she was reacting to anything he had said as she had been looking tearful ever since he had re-entered Koenma's office and found her struggling to cope with what her boss had told her.

"I understand why you married her now, Hiei," Inukasai said.

"I don't care what you think," Hiei answered him. "Didn't I tell you that already?"

"You both have such a strong bond," Inukasai said. "I can see that now more than ever… Not that I couldn't see it before…"

When Inukasai lowered his head and finally stopped talking Hiei felt a level of relief he was sure he never had before and he made to walk on, past the pesky pretender and through the portal back to demon world: but Botan tightened her hold of his hand and held her position. Although he more than had the strength to force her on, Hiei stopped and looked up at her expectantly on the assumption that she had stopped him for a good reason.

"Yes, we do have a strong bond," she said to Inukasai. "And it's very real."

"Yes, it is very real," Inukasai replied, looking up at her in an incredibly pathetic manner. "And I suppose that is what bothers me the most. That is what has always bothered me the most about the two of you."

"Oh really…?" Botan pressed.

"Yes, really," Inukasai said. "I just… I do care for Sosoinu, but…"

Hiei suddenly found himself feeling glad that Botan had made him wait.

"She was the most eligible woman in the village," Inukasai continued. "And I was the most desirable man in the village – for obvious reasons – and so there was always an assumption that we would marry. And Sosoinu is… Lovely, but… I cannot honestly say that, if I had been free to choose…"

Hiei allowed himself to smile.

"The women in Inugoya are very…" Inukasai began. "They are quite… Exuberant. And not in a good way, like Botan is… They are quite… Loud, but without the tact and sense that Botan has and…"

Hiei was starting to forget everything bad that had happened recently. Inukasai's pathetic display was more than compensating for the trouble he had caused.

"I feel that, when you both visited Inugoya – the first and the second time – I may have been a tad forced," Inukasai continued. "I know my father is often quite insensible in his old age and a little lecherous at times and I know my wife is physically domineering and often lacking in good manners and common sense, but I pretended that my life was perfect because I… I was jealous of you, Hiei."

Hiei and Botan both looked at each other at the same moment, and Hiei was sure that the smirk on Botan's face, set beneath eyes illuminated by a devious glint, was a fair reflection of the look on his own face in that moment.

"Before I set out to find my sister, I had never left Inugoya," Inukasai said, drawing their attention back to him. "And within Inugoya, it probably goes without saying, that I am far superior in speed and skill to those around me. I am something special and respected and exceptional in Inugoya, but in demon world as a whole, I am barely above average. And, compared to you Hiei, a fellow emiko who is even younger than I am, I am nothing."

Inukasai sighed and somehow managed to make himself look even more pathetic and pitiful.

"I was so happy when I met Yukina," he said. "She was so kind and creative and she had such wonderful friends. I felt like I was a better man just for being around them all. I am loathed to let go, but I can hardly go back there now, it would be humiliating."

Hiei's smirk vanished as he finally understood what Inukasai was doing: he was trying to invoke their pity, trying to ingratiate himself upon Hiei and Botan in the hope that they would somehow agree to continue the lie that he was Yukina's brother.

"What about your real sister?" Botan asked. "When she leaves spirit world, you can get to know her. Won't that be nice?"

"Yes, I do at least still have a family, I suppose," he conceded. "But I will miss Yukina and her friends."

"Yukina will be very upset about all of this," Botan said. "But she needs to know the truth: that you were never her brother. I will tell her that. Once she knows the truth and once she has had time to come to terms with it, if she then decides that she would like to maintain a friendship with you then perhaps that could be. But she must decide that on her own terms. You cannot force it."

"If I cannot be a part of Yukina's family, I do not wish to waste my time dangling the carrot, as it were, pretending to be satisfied with a friendship that is without base or meaning."

"You're a real piece of work, you know that?"

"If Hiei never intends to tell Yukina the truth–"

"Your own sister is back there, and she's seen your face and she knows who you are."

Inukasai appeared to think about what Botan had said before slowly nodding his head.

"Yes, I suppose you are right," he said. "Again…"

"You can't expect us to let you continue the charade," Botan said. "Not now that you know Yukina isn't your sister. You need to go back to your village and never leave it again – I wish you'd never left it in the first place – and go back to your life there. You can't keep hanging around and preventing everyone from moving on like a dog in the manger!"

Hiei and Inukasai both started at Botan's last words, but she was too caught up in her own righteous ranting to notice. Hiei had come to the conclusion that the phrase "dog in the manger" had a different meaning in spirit world, but, if the look on his face was any indication, Inukasai understood it to have the same meaning that Hiei did.

"You will talk to Yukina?" Inukasai asked Botan once he had recovered from his initial surprise at her words.

"Of course," she replied.

"And Kuwabara?" he asked.

"Yes, and Kuwabara," Botan replied.

Inukasai nodded.

"There is one more thing I should warn you about," he said. "My son, Inudaiki, is, I suppose, much the same sort of child that I was."

"What's your point?" Botan asked.

"He is quite difficult," Inukasai replied. "He is always moving and eating and defecating and grabbing at things… I always wanted a son, but now that I have one, I almost sympathise with our ancestors for throwing emikos from their peaceful village. It is never ending, he is always making noise and making mess and–"

"You can leave now," Hiei cut him off.

Inukasai glanced back and forth between Hiei and Botan, but when neither said anything or gave him a sympathetic look he turned and finally took his leave.

"What an absolute horror," Botan remarked once he had passed through the portal. "He certainly showed his true colours."

She then turned to Hiei.

"Let's go," he said.

"Wait," she said.

"What for?"

"Just wait."

Hiei frowned as Botan turned her head up to the sky, holding her position for some time. He briefly copied her action, seeing only the endless amber skies of spirit world and the occasional ferry girl zipping past. He started to lose patience as it was unclear what Botan was watching, but just as he was about to demand that she stop, she called out to a passing ferry girl, who duly halted and floated down to the road beside them.

"Hello Botan," the ferry girl said as she landed.

"Can I borrow your oar?" Botan asked her.

"Of course!" the girl replied, holding out her oar towards Botan without hesitation.

"Thank you so much," Botan said, taking the oar from her. "Now we can go," she added, turning to Hiei.

Hiei waited until after they had both passed through the portal and back into demon world before questioning what he had just witnessed.

"Borrow?" he said.

"Well I might give it back one day," she replied. "But right now, I need it more than she does."

"You deliberately chose that girl."

"She's new. I knew she'd hand it over without asking any questions."

Hiei smiled.

"Was that cruel?" Botan asked, looking suddenly concerned.

"It was sensible," Hiei replied.

"It was necessary," she said.

"Yes."

"Now… Where should we go next?"

"There are many places we probably should go, but there is one place we must go, and I'd prefer it if we went there first."

Botan looked at Hiei for a moment before a look of realisation dawned on her face.

"Will you come with me?" she asked. "Or will you wait here?"

"I'll come to the living world, but I don't want her to see me," Hiei replied.

"Okay," Botan said, hopping onto the oar she had stolen.

Hiei leapt on and sat at her side, and together they took off for the nearest portal to the living world; as they flew, Hiei noticed Inukasai running back toward Inugoya, and he hoped that was the very last time he ever saw another emiko.

* * *

Botan circled around Kuwabara's house until she was sure that Yukina was alone in the garden before swooping down to join her. Yukina, who was distracted placing out moss for birds gathering nesting material, took a moment to notice Botan's arrival; and when she finally did she gasped, one hand flying to her chest, pieces of moss falling to the ground and the songbirds all taking to the skies.

"Botan!" she said. "I didn't expect to see you here!"

Botan smiled gently and banished her newly acquired oar, trying to ignore the way Yukina eyed her over: she was already painfully aware that she had not washed or changed her clothes in days and that her hair was still a jagged mess. Yukina's surprise was surely because she thought that Botan looked a fright.

"How are you, Yukina?" she asked, kneeling down at the ice maiden's side.

"I feel much better now that you're here, Botan," Yukina replied, smiling sweetly. "I haven't seen you for a little while – well, except for when you briefly visited Inugoya – and I've missed you."

Botan almost wanted to cry. If her experience in spirit world that morning had not left her so numb, she was sure she would have been in tears.

"I've missed you too, Yukina," she said. "How have you been?"

"I've had lots of exciting experiences since I last spoke to you," Yukina replied. "It was so wonderful going to Inugoya and meeting all of my brother's family. I especially enjoyed meeting my nephew. When I held him in my arms, he was so warm. You held him too though, didn't you? Wasn't he wonderful?"

Botan found herself wondering if she had done the right thing by telling Inukasai he could not continue the lie. One thing she had learned during her recent trials and tribulations was that sometimes honouring the truth was not always the best option.

"Yukina, I really care about you and our friendship is very important to me," she began carefully.

"I care about you too, Botan," Yukina replied, looking so incredibly earnest it once again brought Botan close to tears. "And our friendship is very important to me."

"Thank you," Botan said. "Then please keep that in mind, because what I have to tell you now isn't easy for me to say and I know it's going to hurt you, but as your friend who cares about you and your best interests I do have to tell you this. If I don't tell you now, things will only be harder and more painful for you in the future."

Yukina's eyes widened and her face paled. Botan gulped and tried not to think about how distraught her little friend would soon be, instead concentrating on choosing her next words very carefully.

"Yukina, I have some bad news for you," she said. "It's about Inukasai."

Yukina gasped, her hands moving to cover her open mouth.

"Did something terrible happen to him spirit world?" she asked.

"No, it's not that," Botan said. "While he was in spirit world, Inukasai spoke to the spirit world liaison officer to the ice village, and it turns out they made a terrible mistake. I'm so sorry Yukina, Inukasai is not your brother."

"What?" Yukina asked, her voice so faint it barely reached Botan's ears.

"I'm so sorry," Botan said as gently as she could. "They discovered that Inukasai's mother was an ice maiden named Himawari – who was sometimes called Hima, so perhaps that's why Inuyusha thought her name was Hina – and he did have a twin sister, but her name was Akutsu."

"Akutsu?" Yukina repeated.

"Yes."

"So… Inukasai isn't my brother?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

"And Inudaiki isn't my nephew?"

Botan gulped again.

"And Inuyusha isn't my step-father?"

Botan shook her head.

"But… I thought that…"

Tears began forming in Yukina's eyes and Botan again almost wanted to continue the lie if only to end her pain.

"It felt so real…" Yukina said quietly. "I thought I had finally found him…"

"Oh Yukina, I'm so sorry," Botan said. "I didn't want to have to tell you, I knew it would break your heart!"

"I'm glad you did tell me, Botan."

"You-you are?"

"Yes. I'd have felt a fool if everyone else had found out before I did."

"But… You're hurt and disappointed."

"Yes, but… It doesn't feel right to feel sorry for myself over this."

Botan frowned, finding Yukina's last remark quite odd.

"It would be easy to feel sorry for myself right now," she continued. "I'm sad that those lovely people aren't my family, but I'm glad that I still have such good friends around me. Like you, Botan."

"Oh…" Botan said. "I wish I could fix this for you."

"It's okay," Yukina said.

"But you're devastated!" Botan pointed out as a tear rolled down Yukina's cheek, balling into a single hirui stone by her jaw and then falling to the ground.

"I'm sad that I lost something I thought I had," Yukina replied. "And I'm disappointed that I have to start my search again. But it seems wrong to be too sad when I do still have all my friends and when I think about how Hiei returned my hiruiseki to me."

Botan glanced nervously at some nearby trees. It was unlikely that Hiei was close enough to be within her line of sight – after all, he was probably watching the whole scene from some distance away with the aid of his jagan eye – but she still expected to find him glaring down at them after Yukina's last comment.

"What do you mean?" Botan asked her.

"I never really thought about it before, but when I saw Inudaiki and then when Hiei arrived in Inugoya, it made me realise something," Yukina replied. "Hiei is an emiko too. He's from the ice village too. He has family in the ice village just like I do and just like Inukasai does, but he doesn't have any family outside of the ice village. He always seems to be alone, even when he's with Yusuke and Kurama. I was glad to hear that he married you Botan, because you're a good and happy person, and I know you'll help him to be happy and he'll never be alone again."

"Oh, well, that's true, but Hiei has never really been alone – well, he's never really been lonely – that is to say…"

Botan smiled.

"I'm glad I married him too," she said instead.

"I never thought there might be other emikos," Yukina said. "Is that silly? I thought my brother had been the only one. The elders all called him the forbidden child and the way they refused to talk about him… I just assumed he was the only one."

Botan nodded, biting back the urge to tell Yukina that there had been nine emikos born into the ice village and her brother had merely been the most recent born there.

"But when I think about it, I realise how silly I was to think that way," Yukina said. "Rui always told me that they cast out my brother because they already knew that boys born into the village were dangerous, and before they knew that, there must have been others before him. I just didn't think they would look so alike."

"Well I suppose that's…" Botan began. "It seems like you've given this a lot of thought."

"After you and Hiei left, I heard Yusuke saying that Hiei and Inukasai looked so alike, and after that, I couldn't stop thinking about it."

"Yes, I can understand that. But don't worry about Hiei. He's fine. We should tell Kuwabara about Inukasai."

Yukina looked back at the house for a moment before shaking her head.

"I think I'll tell him tomorrow night," she concluded.

"Really?" Botan asked. "Why?"

"He has school tomorrow and he's studying with Keiko tonight," Yukina replied. "I don't want to distract him. I know he'll be upset."

"And you're not upset?" Botan asked.

"I am upset," Yukina replied, despite only looking slightly blurry eyed and a little paler than usual. "But when I get upset, I just feel tense. It's easier for me to watch Kazuma express my feelings for me. He feels everything so keenly and he expresses it all so openly, I feel better just watching him thrash out all his emotions."

Botan bit her lip to stop herself from laughing as an image of Kuwabara throwing a tantrum popped up in her mind, with little Yukina quietly watching on.

"As long as you're okay, Yukina," she said, putting an arm around Yukina's shoulders.

"I will be," Yukina replied. "Thank you for being honest with me, Botan. And thank you for being brave enough to tell me. I wouldn't have liked to have waited for Inukasai to return and then to find out, much later, that he never would return because he's not my brother after all."

Botan started to agree with Yukina but then stopped abruptly as an odd thought occurred to her.

"How did you know Inukasai would never visit you again?" she asked. "He might come to tell you himself, you never know."

Yukina shook her head.

"I don't think he'd take the risk of coming to the living world illegally again," she said.

"Ah, of course," Botan said, relieved that Yukina had not somehow found out about what had happened in spirit world earlier that day.

"I also don't think Inukasai would ever admit to being wrong about anything. Even something like this, where his initial wrong assumption was not his own fault. He was very proud."

Botan smiled.

"You're very perceptive, Yukina," she said.

"I think it was obvious," Yukina quietly replied. "Inukasai always seemed so humble, but after a while, I noticed that most of the humble statements he made were leading statements that baited others into complimenting him. I think he was so accustomed to being the favourite in his own village, he expected to be the favourite wherever he went."

Botan smiled wider and tightened her arm around Yukina's shoulders, pulling the ice maiden against her side.

"I really missed you, Yukina," she said.

"I really missed you, Botan," Yukina said. "Please don't stay away so long again."

Botan put her other arm around Yukina, who gently put her arms around Botan in return; and, for the first time since Inukasai's arrival, Botan relaxed, finally feeling relief that everything she had been through had at least not damaged her friendships in the living world.

* * *

Hiei leapt to the ground as Botan approached, meeting her at the base of the tree he had been waiting in. She nodded at him, and even if he had not been idly watching her with jagan eye, the relaxed smile and glistening of happy tears in her eyes were enough to tell him that all had gone well. He held out his hand towards her and she took it, her smile widening slightly, and together they walked on, heading towards the nearest portal to demon world. Given Botan's propensity to talk too much and too often, Hiei was slightly surprised that she had not said anything yet; but the silence was quite pleasant.

By the time the portal came into sight, the sun had set and night had fallen, reducing visibility. As a demon, Hiei's vision was not as badly impaired by darkness as that of a human, but low light levels did still hinder what he could see: and that, he told himself, was why he did not notice that someone was waiting by the portal until the moment that Botan gasped out a name at his side.

Hiei and Botan both stopped, watching as the figure stepped forwards, moving more fully into what little light there was to be had from the half moon overhead.

"I thought you might come this way."

Hiei took a moment to feel for the presence of anyone else before answering.

"How do you know there is a portal to demon world here?" he asked.

"Did you come here alone?" Botan asked. "To see us?"

"I was present when Kurama showed Inukasai where some of the portals to demon world are," Yukina replied. "And I did come here alone to see you."

"Why?" Botan asked. "Is everything alright? Do you need our help with something?"

Yukina reached her hands around the back of her neck and lifted up the chain holding her hiruiseki, lifting it clear of her head and then holding it out in front of herself.

"I want you to take his, Hiei," she said.

Hiei looked down at the hirui stone, gleaming in the moonlight, momentarily transfixed by the sight of it – identical to his own. Even though he had only returned it to Yukina two days earlier, it felt as though he had not seen it for months.

"I already told you it was never my intention to search for your brother," he said, lifting his eyes to hers. "Why are you asking me again?"

"When I met Inukasai, I realised that you are an emiko too, Hiei," she replied. "You're from the ice village too. And I noticed that Inukasai had his hiruiseki, but you've never had yours."

Hiei's instinct was to deny that he was an emiko, but, as he considered the fact that even Inukasai's baby had looked like him, he decided against it, as denying it at such a time would really only be insulting to Yukina's intelligence.

"I lost mine," he said instead.

"Then you should take mine," Yukina insisted. "It's something to remind you of your heritage. Please. Take it."

"I'm not going to look for your brother," Hiei warned her.

"That's okay," she said.

Hiei nodded and then took the chain from her hands. He lifted it around his neck and took another moment to admire the stone before tucking it under his shirt out of sight.

"Maybe you'll find my brother one day."

Hiei slowly looked over at Yukina again.

"I said I won't be looking," he reminded her.

"I heard what you said," she replied, her voice still light and gentle, but something slightly darker and sterner in her eyes. "But I think maybe you've always been looking. And maybe you'll find him one day."

Hiei suspected there was a deeper meaning to what Yukina was saying, but he was not ready to push the matter – and maybe that was exactly what she was getting at.

"I hope you visit again soon," Yukina said. "Both of you."

"Of course!" Botan replied.

Hiei nodded and Yukina bowed to them before starting to leave.

"Would you like us to walk you home?" Botan called after her.

"No thank you," Yukina replied.

Botan turned to Hiei and shrugged.

"Let's go," he said, pulling her on to the portal.

They leapt through it together, returning to demon world.

"Yukina has really grown up, don't you think?" Botan asked as they landed.

"Are you implying she was immature before?" Hiei asked. "She and I are the same age, you know."

Botan laughed, though Hiei had not really meant his remark to be amusing.

"I just meant that she was quite naïve and vulnerable when I first met her, but she seems so much more aware and grown up now," she said.

Hiei nodded.

"So where should we go next?" Botan asked. "I really don't want to go near spirit world any time soon."

"We still have money, we could spend it," Hiei suggested.

"I thought we spent all the money on our wedding?" Botan asked.

"Hn, did you really think I'd pay that crazy racoon with all of our money?"

"You bartered on the price of our wedding? That's not very romantic, Hiei!"

"I didn't barter. You had a lot more money than you understood."

"Oh."

"So if you still want to go shopping, like you did before, that is an option."

A sly, scheming smile slowly spread across Botan's face, and Hiei felt simultaneously concerned and curious.

"I know exactly what we should do with that money," she said.

"We're not donating it to an unworthy cause," Hiei warned. "No matter how worthy you think it is."

"Just trust me, Hiei," Botan replied with a sigh. "Trust is very important in a marriage, you know."

Hiei opened his mouth to complain, but decided against it when he saw the impish way his wife was looking at him.

"Lead the way," he said instead.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Just as Botan is enjoying spending up the last of Koenma's money, she finds herself the victim of a crime. Hiei and Botan set out to investigate the matter and make an incredible discovery that changes both of their lives (and ends this story). **Chapter 26 – He Stands Alone**

 **A/N:** Weird ending pending. This chapter marked what I consider to be the "bittersweet" aspect of the ending of this fic: Hiei and Botan are kinda separated from the others, but I don't see it as indefinite. I guess some people might not like that there wasn't a happy reunion where everyone apologised to Hiei for being so harsh in the beginning, but I didn't think that sort of thing was fitting for the tone of the rest of the fic. So instead I went with this weird ending…


	26. He Stands Alone

**A/N:** Chapter title came from a song lyric that was sort of my basis for how Hiei was in this fic (from the romance point of view): Botan thought he'd be experienced and full of himself for it because he was so confident in other areas of his life, but really he was every bit as inexperienced and unsure as she was.

* * *

 **Chapter 26 – He Stands Alone**

"Look lady, the price is four hiruiseki, pay it or get out!"

"I heard you the first time, there's no need to shout, and if you'd been listening to me, you'd have heard me say that I'm offering you two hiruiseki!"

Botan was sure that, if he could see her then, even Captain Ootake would be impressed with her bartering skills. Most of the money she had from spirit world was gone – though that was not her only reason for arguing on price – but she had plenty to show for it: after a night in a nice hotel, a visit to a spa and a prolonged soak in a bath, a visit to a hairdresser to tidy her hair and some extensive clothes shopping, she was at a market attempting to purchase another bag like the one she had lost in Doro. Hiei had not intimated any desire to go on any sort of journey, but, in the back of her mind, Botan had an idea that she might need another such bag in the near future.

"I know you double the price of everything when you see someone like me approaching," she said to the irritated bat demon behind the stall. "So I know this bag is only worth two hiruiseki! Do you even know how hiruiseki are made? Do you have any idea how much emotional torture one poor ice maiden had to endure to create two hirui stones?"

The bat demon smiled then, his sudden change in demeanour making Botan lean back fearfully.

"You're a crazy lady," he said, sounding suddenly friendly. "I like you."

"So…" she began. "You'll let me have it for two hiruiseki?"

"No, the price is still four hiruiseki."

"Why won't you barter with me?"

"I don't need to. I know you really want this. You want this badly enough that you'd pay eight hirui stones for it."

Botan's face dropped.

"You're mean," she said sulkily.

"I'm here to make money, not friends," he replied.

"Three hirui stones and that's my final offer!" she tried.

The bat demon sighed and picked up the bag Botan had been trying to purchase. She watched with increasing panic as he stuffed the bag under the stall out of sight and then stepped back and pretended not to see her.

"What are you doing?" she demanded. "I was going to buy that bag!"

"You've insulted me," he replied. "Offering such a substandard price for such a valuable item."

Botan growled and clenched her fists. Captain Ootake had said to offer half the asking price and never pay more than three quarters of the asking price, but she did really, really want the bag – even more so since the vendor had put it out of her line of sight – and she did still have quite a bit of money left over.

"Four hiruiseki is more than I paid for my haircut," she grumbled.

"Demand has gone up, maybe the price has gone up too," the bat demon said.

"Don't you dare!" Botan yelled at him.

He sighed and recovered the bag, placing it out on top of his stall of goods.

"Since I like you so much, I'll let you have it for four hiruiseki," he said.

"That was the original price," Botan flatly replied. "Don't pretend you're doing me a favour."

"Just pay up."

Botan began searching her sleeves for the sack of hirui stones, glaring at the merchant as she did so. When she failed to locate the money after a thorough search of the sleeves of her newly acquired kimono, she began searching through her bags of shopping before breaking into a panic.

"I've been robbed!" she wailed.

"I'm not giving this bag away for free, lady," the bat demon warned her.

"I'm being perfectly serious here!" Botan snapped at him. "This is not a ruse to make you drop your extortionate price, this is the truth!"

Botan put down her bags and dropped to a crouch, desperately clawing through them.

"Why are you flapping?"

Botan looked up at Hiei, who had joined her by the stall, ready to tell him that she had surely been mugged by a sneaky demon bandit: but when she saw him, all thoughts of her current predicament vanished from her mind.

"Ooh, you look nice!" she said, rising to her feet.

Hiei pretended not to have heard her, but she continued admiring him regardless. It had not occurred to her that he had become as messy as she had in their recent exploits, and so seeing him cleaned up and dressed in new and clean clothing made her realise that he too had suffered.

"Did you just buy more black clothes?" she asked. "You know it's okay to wear colour sometimes. In fact, I know you've worn colours before, I've seen you–"

"I'm still waiting for my money over here."

Botan glared at the merchant angrily for his interruption.

"Are you buying another giant bag?" Hiei asked.

"I've been robbed!" Botan cried as the memory of her predicament returned to her.

"What?" Hiei echoed, his face breaking into an angered sneer.

"Yes, I've been robbed!" Botan said. "I went to pay for the bag, and the money is gone! I was sure I had it up my sleeve, I don't know how someone could have taken it without my knowing!"

"Thieves here are far more sophisticated than thieves in the living world," Hiei replied. "But it shouldn't be difficult to find the perpetrator."

Botan waited as patiently as she could as Hiei took a moment to use his jagan to search for the thief. As he searched the bat demon behind the stall passed a few scathing comments about people with no money trying to cheat him, but Botan ignored him.

"Over there," Hiei concluded, pointing through the crowd of bodies at the market stalls.

Botan looked in the direction he had indicated, seeing nothing out of the ordinary at first: but then she saw a hooded figure trying to frantically dodge through the crowds and she did not hesitate to summon her borrowed oar, leaping onto it and racing after the pickpocket. Through a combination of the crowds slowing down the thief's escape and Botan's determination, she quickly reached her target, leaping from her oar and launching herself at the criminal without a second thought. Botan collided with the hooded figure's back and the two fell to the ground, creating a small gap in the crowded street as passers-by moved aside to avoid their scuffle. Botan grabbed handfuls of the hooded robe and yanked hard, rolling over the body she had floored, gasping in horror as she then found herself face-to-face with a young girl who looked far too delicate to be a resident of demon world.

"You stole my money!" Botan recovered.

The girl looked surprised, but her eyes quickly moved to something over Botan's shoulder. Without thinking that it could have been a deliberate ploy to distract her, Botan turned her head, looking back over her shoulder to see Hiei holding her oar in one hand, his sword in the other, and pinning down a second hooded figure beneath one booted foot.

"No!" the girl in front of Botan wailed. "Please don't hurt my baby!"

"Baby?" Botan echoed.

"Hn, this is hardly a baby," Hiei scoffed. "This is the thief. If he's old enough to steal for you, he's old enough to deal with the consequences."

"No!"

Botan yelped as the little girl somehow managed to shove her aside and dive at Hiei's feet. As Botan scrambled to her feet, the girl skidded along the road on her chest, her hands closing around empty air. Hiei had hoisted the girl's accomplice into the air, and with a shake of his hand, the robe encasing the figure fell loose, revealing a young boy barely bigger than Koenma in size.

Botan and Hiei both paused, the moment only ending when the little boy in Hiei's hand turned large red eyes to him and spoke.

"Are you my father?"

Hiei grunted and threw the boy down. The girl at his feet caught the boy before he hit the ground, clutching him protectively to her chest and glancing back and forth between Hiei and Botan with fearful eyes.

"Give them back their money, Yoshirin," she said.

"He looks just like me," the little boy said.

"Give them back their money!" the girl said urgently.

The boy looked less than pleased, but did produce Botan's velvet sack of hirui stones, throwing them at her feet.

"Now please, let us go," the girl said, focusing her attention on Botan.

Botan looked over at Hiei, noticing then that, despite how angry he looked, he had dropped his sword rather than her oar when he had grabbed up the boy. She then stepped forwards and knelt down in front of the girl.

"Are you from the ice village?" Botan asked her.

The girl stared fearfully back at her, but Botan noticed that she did tighten her hold on the boy. Botan turned to Hiei then.

"Didn't Rui tell us you were the last emiko born in the ice village?" she asked him.

"You're an emiko too?" the girl asked, turning to Hiei.

Hiei bared his teeth and tightened his grip on Botan's oar as though he had forgotten that it was not his sword.

"Is he your son?" Botan asked, turning back to the girl.

She looked terrified, but she nodded regardless.

"So then you are from the ice village," Botan said.

The girl again tightened her hold on her son.

"It's okay," Botan assured her. "We're not your enemies. We can help you."

"What?" Hiei grunted.

"Why were you stealing from us?" Botan asked.

"I'm sorry, I know it's not right," the girl replied. "But we haven't eaten in days, and we need supplies for an important journey we have to make."

Botan turned around, looking about herself. She was surprised that she had remembered to take her bags of shopping with her when she had started after the thieves, but she had unfortunately dropped them all when she had leapt from her oar. She located one with food provisions, picking through broken eggs to a paper bag of bread rolls.

"Here," she said, opening the bag and taking out one of the bread rolls. "You can ha–"

Botan stopped short as the girl snatched the roll from her and pushed it towards her son, who somehow managed to cram the entire thing into his tiny mouth.

"I have plenty," Botan said, taking out another roll. "You don't have to–"

Botan stopped again as again the ice maiden snatched the roll from her, this time eating it hungrily herself.

"Take the whole bag, it's fine," Botan offered.

The little emiko grabbed the bag from her and, together with his mother, they tore open the bag, spilling bread rolls all over the road. Botan tried not to look as disgusted as she felt as they grabbed up and hurriedly ate every last one of the bread rolls and the little boy then began licking the spilled egg yolks off the outside of her shopping bag.

"What are you doing here?" Hiei asked as the ice maiden peered hopefully into the bag her son was cleaning the exterior of. "Don't you know how dangerous it is for you to be in a place like this? There are far too many here who would capture and torture you for your ability to make hiruiseki."

"I'm not staying here," the girl replied, her eyes still on the bag. "We only came here to get supplies for our journey."

"Your journey?" Botan asked. "Where are you going?"

The girl paused, eyeing Botan over warily.

"It's okay, you can tell me!" Botan said cheerfully. "I'm Botan, by the way, and this is my husband Hiei."

Hiei gave a small growl, but otherwise did not move or respond to her introduction.

"And he's from the ice village too?" the ice maiden asked, glancing up at Hiei as she asked the question.

"Yes, just like you and your son!" Botan replied. "But we didn't know there was an emiko younger than Hiei."

The girl looked down at the ground for a moment before answering.

"I didn't have my son in the ice village," she admitted. "I ran away. I knew they would never let me keep him, so, when I found out I was with child, I just never went back."

"Oh," Botan said, nodding eagerly. "That makes sense. Hiei did once say there might be others born that the ice maidens didn't know about for that exact reason!"

"I tried to find Yoshirin's father, but we recently found out he was killed," the ice maiden explained. "And for the last five years, we've been living where we can. We've never found a place to stay, but we heard there is a tribe of demons who would accept us into their group and we could live with them safely."

"Let me guess: the tribe is located about two days walking distance south of this town?" Hiei asked, sounding more sarcastic than Botan had ever heard him sound.

"Yes, that's right," the ice maiden said, turning to him. "You've heard of them?"

Hiei threw down Botan's oar and retrieved his sword, stowing it away. Botan watched him expectantly, but he said nothing.

"Please, if you know where they are or you can tell me anything about them, it would be most appreciated," the ice maiden pleaded. "I don't know exactly where they are or how best to get there."

"I know exactly where they are and I know how best to get there," Hiei muttered. "I'll tell you the way, but I don't ever want to see you again after that."

Botan took a moment to study the ice maiden – who was even smaller than Yukina – noticing how pathetic she actually looked, dressed in a perfectly stitched kimono made of substandard cotton and an equally well-stitched hooded robe made of what appeared to be an old potato sack. Her clothing, hair, face and hands were grubby, particularly so where she had skidded along the dusty road when she had thrown herself down to catch her son as Hiei had dropped him. Her son looked little better, dressed in an outfit compiled of patches of material and a hooded robe the same as his mother's. They looked so small and vulnerable and if they could only survive by stealing then there was little hope for them making it to their destination.

"Why are you stealing from people?" she asked. "You could make your own money."

"It's not that simple," Hiei answered before the ice maiden could. "Apart from anything else, if anyone saw her making hirui stones, she would become a target."

"Of course, yes," Botan said. "Well then, why don't you tell us your name?"

"My name?" the ice maiden asked, looking surprised by the question. "My name is Michi."

"Well, even though we didn't meet under the most pleasant of circumstances Michi, it's nice to meet you anyway," Botan said. "Hiei?"

She turned to Hiei, who still looked as though he had a bad taste in his mouth.

"Let's go."

He frowned.

"We can't let Michi and Yoshirin travel alone," Botan added. "It's obviously too dangerous for them. Since you know where they are heading, we should accompany them there."

"That's ridiculous," Hiei said.

"It's ridiculous not to help!" Botan argued. "Aren't you inspired that Michi put herself through all this trouble to be with her son? After everything you've seen lately, you should be more sympathetic!"

"The problem is not Michi, it's her destination," Hiei growled.

Botan looked at Michi and Yoshirin, checking that they were distracted picking up crumbs before getting to her feet and moving over to Hiei's side.

"What's the problem, Hiei?" she whispered to him. "I think we should help them."

"I don't deny that they need help," Hiei whispered back. "But I will not go back there."

"Back where?" Botan hissed.

"Isn't it obvious?" Hiei asked. "A place to the south of here, a tribe who will accept them – they're going to Inugoya."

"Oh…"

Botan looked down at the ice maiden and her emiko son, memories of her last visit to Inugoya flitting through her mind.

"I will never go back there," Hiei added. "I won't even go close to that area. And there is nothing in any of the three worlds that can change my mind on the matter."

* * *

Hiei finally came to a halt at the foot of the wide, flat valley, surrounded by a horseshoe of mountains, the highest of which was straight ahead of him. The sun had risen – he had been travelling all evening and through the night – but the light had yet to reach over the mountaintops and into the valley itself. He turned his head slightly to watch as Botan swooped down at his side, her oar laden with a bag full of crap and a bleary-eyed young ice maiden clinging to the slumbering form of her son. Despite the fact that Botan had surely exerted more energy travelling at speed carrying so much, she still looked lively as she unloaded her oar and banished it.

"Well, this is as far as we can take you," she said.

Hiei almost wanted to sigh in relief at Botan's words.

"This is it?" Michi asked, looking about herself through heavy eyelids.

"Yes, this is it," Botan confirmed.

Hiei looked up at the mountains around them: the range to the left, where he and Botan had left Inugoya after their first visit there and the way by which they had returned the night he had given Yukina back her hiruiseki; the range immediately ahead, where the stinky dog demon village was located; and the range to the right, which had, near the top, the caves that led back through the alleyway of carnivorous flowers. The sunlight finally began to break over the range to the left, light gradually cascading down the right side of the valley.

"It's so big," Michi said.

"Oh no dear, the place you're looking for is at the top of the mountain there," Botan said. "It's not all of this area. It's just a small settlement at the summit."

"Oh, I know that," Michi said. "Thank you so much for taking me here. It would have taken me such a long time to find it myself and I never could have travelled as quickly as you did. And thank you for the food."

"That's alright, we were glad to be of assistance," Botan told her.

Michi accidentally caught Hiei's eye and paused before a slightly awkward look passed over her eyes.

"And thank you for not hurting us after we stole from you," she added.

Hiei nodded and Michi attempted a smile.

"Botan, could you hold Yoshirin for me for a moment?" she said, turning to Botan.

Botan gladly took the sleeping emiko from Michi's arms, cuddling him close to herself in a way Hiei felt like warning her would end in disaster if he woke up during the embrace. She started to lament how "cute" she thought he was, but stopped suddenly, her head tilting to one side. Hiei turned to see what had caught her attention, and saw that Michi had removed her hiruiseki from around her neck and she was, inexplicably, holding it up in the air. Botan stepped forwards and cast Hiei a questioning look, which he returned with a small shake of his head to show that he did not know what was happening either. Together they watched in silent fascination as the little ice maiden stretched up onto her toes and reached her arm up high above her head, finally managing to push the stone on the end of her necklace into the rays of sunlight spilling into the valley. Hiei squinted as the light reflected brilliantly off the stone, creating near-blinding flickers of light. Michi held her position for a few seconds more before dropping onto the flats of her feet again and dropping her arm to her side. She then looked expectantly up at the top of a nearby mountain.

"What are you doing, Michi?" Botan asked.

"This is the signal to let them know I'm coming," Michi replied.

"Signal?" Botan echoed.

"I didn't realise Inukasai had set up a whole system to encourage waifs he can make himself seem impressive to into his village," Hiei grumbled.

"Who is Inukasai?" Michi asked.

"He's the one you're here to see," Botan explained.

"His name is Inukasai?" Michi asked.

"Yes," Botan replied.

"Isn't Inukasai the name of a dog demon?" Michi asked.

"Yes."

Michi looked a little lost and Botan smiled and waved a hand in the air.

"I know it's confusing," she said. "But even though he is an emiko, his name is Inukasai."

"Oh," Michi said. "That is confusing."

She turned and looked up at the mountain again and again Botan gave Hiei a questioning look.

"The place you're looking for is over this way," Hiei offered, pointing towards the highest mountain at the top of the valley.

Michi looked in the direction he was pointing, then gave him a curious look and then returned to watching the mountain to the right, her attention fixed on the point just beyond the entrance to the cave network.

"There's nothing over that way," Hiei told her. "There's nothing here in general, other than the dog demon village."

"Dog demon village?" Michi echoed.

She looked horrified. Apparently whoever had told her about the group awaiting her in the mountains had failed to mention that they were a tribe of dog demons. Hiei drew in a breath to tell her that yes, the saviour she was searching for was in fact a member of the tribe of dog demons: but he stopped short when something caught his eye high in the mountains. Hiei slowly raised his eyes to the brilliant flicker of light, emanating from high in the mountain range to the right of the valley, at a point just beyond the caves – the same point Michi had been looking out towards when she had made the same signal.

"What's that?" Botan asked.

"That's the acknowledgement signal," Michi said, lifting her chain back up over her head. "Thank you again so much for everything you've done for me. Both of you."

She gathered up her son from Botan and turned to leave.

"We'll come with you," Botan blurted out, reaching out a hand towards her.

Michi paused, looking back over her shoulder. Botan turned to Hiei, who was still too confused to react, and – obviously knowing that only too well – Botan took advantage of his temporary lapse of judgment to enforce her own.

"I'll fly us up there, it'll be much faster!" she said enthusiastically.

She summoned her oar and fastened her bag to it again and by the time Hiei had figured out that the flicker of light had come from a plateau close to the summit of one of the mountains, Botan and Michi were back on Botan's oar.

"Come on Hiei, let's go!" Botan said, reaching out a hand towards him.

"This could be a trap," Hiei warned her.

"If you believed that, you'd have used your jagan eye to check on it already," she casually replied. "You're just curious but you're too proud to admit to it. Now are you flying with us or do you want to run?"

Hiei turned his head, looking up at the plateau again. He was curious, but there was no way he would ever admit to it, least of all in front of Michi and her child.

"I'll go ahead to make sure there are no traps," he said.

He heard Botan calling out to him but her voice faded fast as he took off and began scaling the mountain. It was true that he could have looked ahead with his jagan eye, but instinct was telling him that whatever was at the top of the mountain, it was something he would need to see with his own eyes.

By the time Hiei did finally reach his destination, the sun had risen further, illuminating most of the valley below. He was sure Botan could have flown up quicker than he ran, but she was still behind him, and so he stopped at the edge of an opening of flat land, looking about himself cautiously for the first sign of who had answered Michi's signal.

And Hiei did not have to wait long.

At first, he thought he was looking at Inukasai, approaching him from behind a rock. But, as the emiko drew closer, it became apparent that he was not the same one who had stolen into the living world and tried to abduct Hiei's life: he was much older, his face bore a vicious scar over one eye and he was not dressed in quite the same way that Hiei and Inukasai did.

"Greetings," he said.

"Who are you?" Hiei asked him.

"My name is Akio," he replied. "I'm surprised to see you here. How did you find us?"

Hiei found his mind lingering on the word "us", and, as a flicker of movement caught his attention, he took another look around the opening, noticing then that there were countless figures lingering in the shadows watching him.

"What is this place?" Hiei asked, turning his attention back to Akio.

"This is the place I chose for my mission," Akio replied. "It's secluded and generally safe. I've been relatively successful, but there are so many of us now, I can no longer leave this area. That's why I'm surprised to see you here."

"Tell your associates to show themselves," Hiei said.

"Certainly. You can come out, we have a new ally."

At first Hiei was not bothered by the figures stepping out into the light: but as their number increased and as some of them began to take on familiar shapes, he quickly tensed.

"What the hell is this?" he demanded.

"Don't you know?" Akio asked. "You gave the signal, I thought you must know who we are."

Hiei was actually glad when Botan finally caught up to him and landed at his side. She looked as shocked as he felt, but Michi did not hesitate to approach Akio and the moment of confusion was short-lived.

"Are you Akio?" she asked him.

"Yes, I am," he replied.

"My name is Michi," she said. "I heard about your group and I came here to join you. This is my son, Yoshirin."

She placed her son down and he rubbed at his eyes before gasping as he noticed the group of ice maidens standing behind Akio and the startlingly large number of emikos, the smallest of whom was the same size as Yoshirin and the largest of whom was a lanky teenager.

"These are my new friends, Hiei and Botan," Michi continued. "They showed me great kindness and they helped me get here. Without them, I don't think I could have made it. Hiei is an emiko too."

"Yes, I can see that," Akio said. "Hiei you were obviously born in the ice village."

Hiei did not answer, as he was still trying to figure out how it was possible that there was a tribe of eleven ice maidens and fifteen emikos that he had never heard of before.

"As was I," Akio continued. "And like you, I was cast out. The children you see here were all born outside of the ice village. In my travels I encountered many of them individually and eventually I came to realise that something should be done to gather them all together and offer them the protection they needed. It was also my intention to find other emikos like myself, who have been born in the ice village and cast out, but my time is consumed now watching guard over the group here."

"Did you know there's another emiko not far from here who was born in the ice village?" Botan asked, her expression and tone clearly betraying her still lingering dislike of Inukasai.

"I am aware of him, though I've never met him," Akio replied. "Did you just happen upon Michi by chance?"

"Yes," Hiei replied before Botan could tell him the whole story of their meeting.

Akio nodded.

"Well, you are of course welcome here," he said. "You should stay a little while. It will be good for the young ones to be around another grown emiko."

Hiei thought that sounded like the worst idea ever, but before he could excuse himself out of it, Botan had already accepted the offer and starting introducing herself to the others in the group. Hiei sighed and nodded at Akio, who led him on through the rocks to a crude but homely encampment on a barren ledge in the mountainside. Despite not really wanting to, Hiei sat down on a rock and Akio sat down onto another rock facing him.

"I understand your hesitancy," Akio said to him. "It must be surprising for you to see us all like this. It's not so bad for me because I've had so long to get accustomed to it."

"I had no idea there had been so many emikos born outside of the ice village," Hiei admitted.

"Neither had I," Akio replied with a dry smile. "I keep thinking there can't possibly be any more and then another one appears – like just now."

"Quite a life you have, babysitting all these pests," Hiei commented.

"I didn't start out here with the intention of becoming a babysitter, it's just happened this way. It is a hindrance, because I'm no longer able to travel around searching for the others."

"Do you really need any more? And if they are all coming to you anyway, why would you even want to go looking for them?"

"Like I said, I didn't expect there to be so many. I thought there might only be three or four. My primary aim was to find the emikos who had been born in the ice village. Others like you, Hiei."

"Why would you want to do that?"

Akio arched his eyebrows as though he thought Hiei's question was unnecessary: which, Hiei supposed, it was, as he did already have a fair idea as to why Akio was doing what he was. Hiei looked about the others, trying not to let it show just how surprised he was at the sheer number of both ice maidens and emikos present.

"Initially I travelled around looking for them," Akio said as Hiei watched Botan enthusiastically attempting to learn the name and personality of every member of the group. "But I'm so restricted now. It's too dangerous to send one of the girls out to search and the boys are all still too young: not to mention that none of them have the knowledge of demon world locations and customs that a more well-travelled demon would."

"You do know there's another in Inugoya, right?" Hiei asked, meeting Akio's eyes again.

"You mean Inuyusha's son?" Akio asked.

"Hn, so you do know of him," Hiei said.

"I don't care for him."

Hiei felt his face twist despite his better wishes.

"I thought you said you were looking to gather all the emikos born in the ice village?" he said. "Doesn't Inukasai fall into that category?"

"Yes, but he doesn't need our help and we certainly don't need someone so slick complicating things for us," Akio replied.

Hiei nodded.

"I see you know him quite well," he said.

"I've observed him, though never actually met with him," Akio replied. "I don't expect every emiko I encounter to be suitable to join us. I'm primarily looking for those who are lost or need a place to belong. What about you, Hiei?"

"I'm not lost," Hiei replied.

"That's good. Whereabouts in demon world have you been living?"

"I've lived all over demon world."

"Really?"

"Yes. I've always travelled a lot."

Hiei was deliberately being vague – and he was not lying – in the hope of changing the topic of conversation away from himself, but Akio appeared to be getting more and more interested with every ambiguous answer he gave. After giving him a long, scrutinising look, Akio turned to call over one of the ice maidens, whispering something to her that Hiei frustratingly could not hear.

"Would you like some refreshments?"

Hiei turned to the ice maiden at his side, pausing as his eyes landed on her face. Despite her not looking even remotely like Yukina, she reminded Hiei of his sister regardless. It was something about the tone of her voice – more varied and lively than the typical dull tones of her ancestors – and something about the openness of her face – her eyebrows were not set low over her eyes and her mouth was not thinned and tense. Hiei was unsure if the changes came about when an ice maiden left the ice village or if some ice maidens were just born that way. Maybe it was a little of both.

"I'm fine," he said.

"If you need anything, let me know," she offered.

She smiled gently and then moved back over to join the others. Hiei turned back to Akio at the same moment that the ice maiden he had called over returned to him carrying a bundle of papers. She passed them to Akio, who nodded his head at her before holding the papers out towards Hiei.

"What is this?" Hiei asked, making no attempt to accept the offer.

"It's all the leads I have on where the others might be," Akio replied. "I wondered if you could check over them. If you have travelled, you maybe know of some of these places or some of these informants."

Hiei looked down at the papers, noticing maps of areas he was all too familiar with both from his days travelling with Takeo and his duties as part of the border patrol. If he had any interest in helping Akio's cause, he would be well placed to do so, he thought. However, the thought of travelling around demon world deliberately seeking out more Inukasais did not appeal to him in the slightest and so he made to tell Akio exactly that: but before he could, Botan had taken the papers from him and begun sifting through them.

"Hiei is a guard for the border patrol, I bet he knows where all of these places are and all the best ways to get to them," she commented as she scanned over the documents.

"Weren't you busying yourself befriending people you'll probably never see again?" Hiei asked her sarcastically. "Maybe you should go back to doing that."

"You're an officer of the border patrol?" Akio asked, leaning forwards towards Hiei.

"What I do isn't up for discussion," Hiei replied.

"Yes, he is," Botan said.

Hiei glared at her but her attention had shifted to Akio.

"Maybe we could help you, Akio!" she said cheerfully. "We could travel to these places and look for these missing emikos!"

Hiei was on his feet before the thought to stand had even entered his mind.

"Come with me," he said sternly, grabbing one of Botan's long sleeves and promptly dragging her away from the others.

Hiei kept going until he was sure that he would be out of earshot before stopping and turning around to face Botan, growling as he noticed that she was still holding the maps and notes she had taken from Akio.

"What are you doing?" he asked her.

"Hiei, I've been thinking," she replied. "And I've decided that I don't want to be a ferry girl any more. I want to do something more meaningful and this is the most meaningful thing I can think of. If someone had done this for you, you never would have needed to get your jagan eye and you probably wouldn't have spent so long with Takeo. You said you weren't ready to go back to working shifts on the border patrol again, so why not do this for now?"

"This is insane," Hiei flatly replied. "This is, by far, the most absurd thing you've suggested to me: and given the suggestions you've levied at me these past couple of weeks, that really is saying something."

"I know you want to do this, Hiei," Botan insisted. "Did you see how surprised Akio was that we just met Michi and Yoshirin by chance? And he's right! This wasn't just a mere coincidence, it's a sign! It was fate that we met with Michi and Yoshirin when and how we did! This is what we should be doing! We can do this together! We can help them all!"

Hiei leaned to one side to look beyond Botan at the group behind her. Looking at the young emikos only reminded him of all the awkward phases of his own childhood and looking at the ice maidens strangely made him think of his mother. Of his last memory of her. Of his only memory of her. Of how she had pleaded with the elders not to cast him out. Of how she had begged them to give him back. Of how she had been prepared to leave the village – and ultimately had, according to Kuro – to be reunited with him. Of how cheated he had felt when he had stood in the ice village looking at the crude marker the villagers had placed on her gravesite. Of how the ice maidens had buried Hina outside of their sacred burial area, marking her as dirty.

Hiei slowly righted his stance, his eyes lifting to Botan's. She was watching him with such optimism in her eyes, seemingly holding her breath as she waited for his response.

"Hiei?" she eventually said. "What do you think?"

"I think you're crazy," he quietly replied.

Her enthusiasm faded and she began to breathe again.

"And I'm out of my mind."

She stopped breathing again.

Hiei looked over at Akio, raising a hand to him. Akio gave a slight smile and a nod of his head and held up his hand in understanding. Hiei then held out his hand to Botan.

"Let's go."

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N:** Akio means "glorious hero", ha.

So this is the weird ending. I wanted Hiei and Botan to have another adventure, and while writing them researching Hiei's life, I got caught up in wanting to know what had happened to those other emikos (that I created, does that make me a schizophrenic?!) so I decided their next adventure should be to find the others.


End file.
